Honda’s history with electrification has been up-and-down, to say the very least. The Japanese brand has been developing EVs since the early 1990s and has been a pioneering force behind hybrid technology, but it has been rapidly overtaken by myriad rivals in the interim.

Its 2020 Honda e was met with huge critical acclaim and was actually one of my favorite cars of the era, but it was too expensive and the electric range was poor. You could argue it was ahead of its time.

But then, in a very un-Honda move, it introduced the distinctly middling e:Ny1 that, while slightly more palatable in terms of pricing and range, failed to make waves with its vanilla styling, forgettable drive and aging in-car tech.

The promise of a cutting-edge 0 Series was subsequently postponed due to mounting global pressures and supposedly declining EV demand. Even its long-winded collaboration with Sony on the Afeela project was unceremoniously brought to an abrupt end earlier this year. Honda is yet to realize its electric dreams.

However, you could argue that one tiny car has been carrying the weight of expectation on its diminutive shoulders, and that’s the Honda Super-N.

For the first time in the Japanese marque’s history, it has decided to introduce the enormously popular Kei car category to markets outside its home turf.

The Kei category, which roughly translates to ‘light’ from Japanese, accounts for around 30% of new vehicle sales in its home market. Its popularity is due to the fact that the strict size and weight regulations governing the sector allow those in densely populated areas to own a car.

In much of Japan, if you can’t prove that you have a dedicated parking space for your car, you're simply not allowed to own one. Enter the Kei car.

While the Super-N is marginally too large to be legally classified as a true Kei, it borrows much of its underpinnings from a car that is, with the small but perfectly formed Super-N aiming to prove that “small electric cars can be genuinely fun”, as project leader Hidetomo Horita puts it.

Limited release

To keep costs down, the Super-N will be limited to right-hand-drive markets (as it is in Japan), meaning the UK is one of those fortunate spots in Europe that will be able to enjoy the deliberately pumped-up styling and rascal handling.

Gone is the small petrol engine that sits in the rest of Honda’s Kei-car N range and, in its place, is a 29.6kWh battery pack and a 94bhp electric motor that drives the positively tiny 15-inch front wheels.

On paper, the Honda N isn’t particularly impressive. It takes a good 10 seconds to reach 62mph from a standstill and the top speed is pegged at a measly 83mph.

It’s also not exactly a road-trip tool, as its all-electric range is around 128 miles if you’re careful and maximum charging rates are 50kW, meaning it takes around 30 minutes to complete a 10-80% charging session.

There are concerning echoes of the Honda e here but this is a vehicle that will cost less than £19,000 (around $25,000 / AU$36,000) in the UK... not nearly £30,000 (around $40,000/AU$56,500) like its forebear.

It's also missing the point, because Honda has engineered the Super-N to be an unadulterated joy to drive and a tool for traversing towns.

“We took inspiration from the City Turbo II model of the 1980s,” Horita explains.

The car, which was a muscular, wide-bodied city slicker of the electro-pop era, featured a turbocharged 1.2-liter petrol engine and used a special processor to reduce turbo lag.

Performance figures are largely similar and the Super-N shares the same characteristics as the so-called 'Bulldog', with a surprisingly firm ride that has clearly been engineered for handling prowess rather than comfort.

Press a big purple button on the steering wheel labelled 'Boost' and the full 70kW — or 94bhp — is unleashed, often proving enough to spin up the front wheels and generally allow the Super-N to attack country roads with old-school, hot-hatch gusto.

Honda engineering

There is a special place in my heart for Honda, simply because it is a company that serially over-engineers its products. Google the Honda FC50's V-TACS system for a good example.

The Super-N is no different and, despite costing a mere £18,995 in the UK (or around £199 a month on finance), it almost over-delivers on the tech front.

In Boost mode, there’s a synthesized engine note pumped through the excellent eight-speaker Bose sound system.

But, in true Honda style, the engineers have ensured the engine noise is predominantly played through the front speakers, while an exhaust note (modeled on an Integra Type R, no less) is played through the rear speakers for a more realistic finish.

There are several levels of regenerative braking, including a one-pedal driving function, which are accessed via paddle shifters on the steering wheel. In sportier driving modes, these become gear shifters, allowing the driver to cycle through virtual cogs.

Hold the left paddle down for three seconds and the car enters a fully manual mode, with the technology even hitting a virtual rev limiter, much like the system in the far more expensive Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.

Arguably, the Super-N doesn’t need all of this additional gimmickry because the drive is engaging enough as it is, but it's neat to have it.

It’s not particularly fast or powerful, but the 1,097kg weight, well-judged steering and firm suspension are perfect for delivering big grins on the right roads.

I'd hazard a guess that most owners will leave it in Boost mode all the time and put up with the front tire bills.

Small but mightily practical

All four doors on the Super-N open at a 45-degree angle to the bodywork, resulting in a massive aperture through which to load yourself, friends or children into the interior.

Front passengers, naturally, almost rub shoulders due to the tiny proportions, but it’s perfectly capable of carrying four adults — or even five at a push.

Better still, Honda’s Magic Seats are included, which either fold completely flat or fold upright with the pull of a lever to create all manner of space-saving configurations for transporting bulkier loads.

Granted, the interior is built to a price and most of the plastics feel particularly cheap and scratchy, but the infotainment system is easy to use and offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard.

One of my biggest gripes is the lack of space for a smartphone, as all of the cubbyholes Honda provides are too small. Buy a Super-N and you’ll probably need to buy a smartphone cradle as well.

However, in a pleasing twist, the Super-N has been homologated for the UK and therefore doesn’t have to adhere to a number of annoying European safety standards.

It means the speed-limit alert comes in the form of a subtle flashing logo rather than an incessant bonging noise, while the lane-keep assist is one of the least intrusive systems I have ever tried.

It all works exactly as it should, without interrupting the drive or forcing the driver to rummage through digital menus to turn everything off — something premium players like Volvo, BMW and Mercedes-Benz could easily learn from.

According to Honda UK’s Andrew Winfield, there has been a significant uplift in sales of compact A-segment EVs, with the likes of Dacia's Spring, the Fiat 500e, the BYD Dolphin Surf and the larger Renault 5 contributing to a 300% year-on-year increase in sales volume from 2025 to 2026.

The Japanese brand is hopeful the Super-N can introduce another affordable, practical and fun electric city car to the segment, which will soon also host the Renault Twingo, but one that offers genuine driving thrills and a small reminder that Honda is still capable of automotive magic.

• EV adoption in China has prevented as many as 262,000 premature deaths associated with air pollution since 2010
• The move to EVs, which also aligns with China's goal of becoming a carbon-neutral nation by 2060, has reduced PM2.5 and nitrogen oxides considerably
• With Chinese power generation still heavily coal-dependent, critics point out that EVs might just be clean at the destination until a fundamental shift in how the grid is supplied is implemented

A recent study by researchers in China points to reduced air pollution linked to EVs, saving as many as 262,000 lives by lowering local populations' exposure to pollutants.

The study indicates that reduced exposure to microscopic (fine) particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides, thanks to increased EV adoption by consumers, has resulted in thousands of lives saved annually in the region.

It pointed out that reduced emissions of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and other pollutants from ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) and hybrid vehicles have directly contributed to lower mortality rates, especially in urban centers.

An urban-centric 'miracle?'

The study, which used satellite data to examine changes in both rural and urban settings, found that carbon monoxide and PM2.5 levels were down 30% and 23%, respectively, compared to a hypothetical scenario in which EVs were not in play.

The research indicates that this directly prevented the deaths of as many as 262,000 people by reducing deaths related to lung cancer, respiratory illnesses, strokes, and heart diseases.

This is not an event in isolation; however, China has invested hundreds of billions of dollars in incentives, including subsidies for EVs and efforts to encourage a local EV market, resulting in EV giants that are massive global brands such as BYD and Geely.

The effect is not unique to China; an earlier study based in California also reported similar findings, indicating lower air pollutant levels in areas with higher EV adoption, with some areas indicating a near 4% drop in nitrogen dioxide pollution.

The findings, in tandem with a study in 2025, indicate that the overwhelming beneficiaries of such moves are urban centers, while rural or "economically small" cities in China exhibit a much smaller decline in nitrogen oxide emissions.

This can be linked to an unequal distribution of EV adoption, with limited infrastructure and spending power, essentially capping the benefits of 'clean' tech and benefiting smaller communities.

While EV usage in China continues to save lives, the results are called both "encouraging and sobering" by a co-author of the study. It does point out that the onus for much of this falls on its larger, wealthier (and more urbanized) cities, which can afford newer vehicles, even as smaller cities continue to lag behind in a country where more than half of all cars sold last year were electric.

Concerns about how said EVs are 'charged' persist, suggesting that the emissions might essentially only be rerouted rather than actually eliminated from the ecosystem. China continues to meet nearly 55% of its energy demand, including EV power needs, using coal as of April 2026, even as the country aims to increase the share of solar, hydropower, and wind-based generation to meet its carbon neutrality goals.

• 110 or 137-inch self-folding TV
• Bugatti design cues, materials and color finishes
• Pricing available on request; expect six figures

Back in 2024, we got to see a "brain-bending" TV in person: a 137-inch self-folding micro-LED TV. It was called the C SEED N1, and now it's back with in a new Bugatti-inspired form.

The C SEED BUGATTI N1 takes styling cues from the rather beautiful Bugatti Tourbillon supercar, with a side profile mimicking the C-line design that makes Bugattis so visually distinctive. And as before it contains a self-folding 4K micro-LED TV in a choice of 110 inches or 137 inches.

Made in Austria, the BUGATTI N1 features materials and finishes — including carbon fiber and aluminum — inspired by Bugatti’s Tourbillon hypercar as well as taking on some of its shape.

There’s also a fully integrated Wisdom Audio sound system hidden inside the structure, with speakers that extend outwards when activated and disappear again once the Netflix doom scroll is over.

Pricing is very much in the "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" bracket. But the 2024 N1 was expected to cost $283,000 / £285,000 (about AU$394,925), and reports have stated that a previous Porsche Design folding TV cost around $400,000, so clearly you're looking at supercar money.

C SEED BUGATTI N1 self-folding TV: key features and availability

Seeing the TV unfold is still brain-bending. The "sculptural sideboard" unfolds and rotates to become vertical, its five micro-LED panels becoming a single enormous 4K screen. There's an embedded video of it here.

The big challenge with foldable displays has traditionally been visible seams and panel inconsistencies, but C SEED says its patented Adaptive Gap Calibration system effectively eliminates the joins between the moving panels.

Refreshingly C SEED has published the specs of the system rather than opting for discretion. The contrast ratio is 30,000:1, peak brightness is 1,000 nits, and the sound system has a frequency range (including the subwoofer) of 60Hz to 20kHz.

Unfortunately if you're a gamer this might not be the TV for you: its three HDMI ports are HDMI 2.0, not 2.1. Seems a little cheap…

Like most people I couldn't afford one of these TVs in a million years but I love the fact that it exists: like the weirdest luxury hi-fi speakers it's both spectacular and a bit silly at the same time.

But if you happen to have six figures to spare and your garage already contains a Bugatti Tourbillon, a folding television probably feels perfectly reasonable. The TV is being "presented to discerning customers" through CDEED's partner network worldwide, and you can see more of this very unusual TV on the C SEED website here. There's even a book you can download.

Thinking of buying a new TV?

Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices.

• Ferrari has unveiled the Luce, its first electric car
• It's partly designed by ex-Apple design guru Jony Ive
• The design has received mixed reactions online

We got our first look at the cockpit of the Ferrari Luce back in February, and now the entirety of Ferrari's much anticipated, first electric vehicle has been revealed — accompanied by rather a mixed reaction from drivers.

As Motor1 reports, the car was partly designed by LoveFrom, the luxury design company headed up by Jony Ive of iPhone and iPad fame. It packs in four electric motors and up to 1,050 horsepower, and retails for €550,000 and up (about $640,000 / £475,000 / AU$895,000) — but it's the design that's attracted the most attention.

One commenter on Reddit has described the car as "giving Waymo" vibes, while another says the design is "somehow worse than I could ever have imagined". Another comment sums up the general reaction that we've seen online: "Ferrari have absolutely and completely lost their minds."

The reaction from the rest of the industry hasn't been all that positive either. It comes across as a "mix between a Honda Accord EV and Tesla 3" according to analyst Pierre-Olivier Essig from AIR Capital, Bloomberg reports. "We are lost in translation with Ferrari’s new strategy."

It's fair to say the aesthetics of the Luce haven't met with universal approval, but Ferrari knows it doesn't necessarily have to appeal to the masses on Reddit. The manufacturer sells less than 14,000 cars per year, and as long as there are enough people taken with the charms of this new model, it will do just fine.

'Multi-touch shouldn't be in a car'

In an interview with Cleo Abram, Jony Ive and Ferrari Chief Designer Flavio Manzoni have gone into more detail about the thinking behind the design of the Luce. In particular, Ive talks about moving away from the multi-touch design of the Apple products he designed, which can be seen on large car dashboards from the likes of Tesla.

"Multi-touch shouldn't be in a car, I believe," says Ive, while also saying it's a "fabulous technology" that suits the user interfaces of phones and tablets. "If you're having to do basic things, it requires of course by definition that you're not looking where you're going, and you're looking at a display."

There is a central touchscreen in the Luce, but it's reasonably compact in terms of its size, and only requires single taps — guided by a handrail along the bottom. There are also plenty of dials and switches throughout the cockpit for more direct, tactile control of the car, with some clever lighting effects attached.

This is a vehicle that can get up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour in 2.5 seconds, with a top speed of more than 310 kilometers (193 miles) per hour. The range on a single charge is quoted as being 530 kilometers (329 miles). For those drivers who are taken with the looks and specs, initial orders are now open.

"The obvious thing or certainly the easy, lazy thing to do would be to mimic what people are familiar with," Ive adds. It's certainly a divisive, bold design — which has had plenty of jibes aimed at it — but let us know what you think in the comments below.

Unlike most airplanes or helicopters, I saw the all-electric Joby Air Taxi long before I heard it. It was cruising silently around Governor's Island and past the Brooklyn Bridge in New York as it made its approach to the NYC Downtown Skyport in Lower Manhattan. When it touched down moments later, it made history, completing the first point-to-point EV air taxi demonstration in New York City history.

As someone who's been following the growing eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) industry for almost a decade, this was a watershed moment for me, too. Never, in all that time, had I seen one in flight. Yes, I missed the smaller New York City Joby prototype demonstration in 2023. Still, the truth is, these EV vehicles, which can perform vertical takeoffs before converting into basically airplane mode, have yet to receive the necessary Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) clearance. And with how slowly bureaucracy moves, I assumed it might be another decade before I'd see one in flight outside of a highly controlled test, airfield.

Yet here I stood under partly cloudy skies with minimal wind, watching the Joby drop down from the sky, its 6 propellers guiding it to a perfect three-point landing.

Easy EV to fly

Pilot Buddy Denham hopped out wearing a snappy, blue Joby's jump suit and greeted me warmly. I asked about how hard it is to fly what looks like a cross between a giant drone and a classic airplane.

The EV, which will fly four passengers and a pilot once certified by the FAA, is "highly augmented fly by wire," explained Denham. This means that while he controls speed and altitude with physical controllers, much of what happens is when he tells the flight control system what he wants, and it carries it out.

Denham should know. Before joining Joby seven years ago, he was with the Navy, where he helped develop a unified control concept for the F-35 fighter jet's hover system, essentially the same system the Joby aircraft uses today.

While Denham described the Joby Air Taxi as "easy to fly," it is a complex air vehicle that does the neat trick of converting back and forth from hovercraft to, basically, aircraft. Denham gestured toward the two most forward of the six propellers and explained how they start facing up to support vertical liftoff and then automatically tip down to face forward to support airplane-like flight.

A turning point for the eVTOL industry

"We're excited that this is going to transform how people move around New York and the world." Joby CEO JoeBen Bevirt told me shortly after the flight demonstration.

That transformation is about noise and air pollution. As an all-electric vehicle capable of traveling up to 200mph, the Joby Air Taxi produces zero emissions and, unlike the majority of helicopters flying over and around New York, it is whisper-quiet when in the air. While the noise level rises appreciably as the eVTOL is lifting off or landing, it's by no means ear-piercing. One company representative told me its in-flight "acoustic profile is 100 times lower than a helicopter."

Perhaps nothing drove that point home more forcefully than when Bevirt was speaking to the assembled crowd as a large helicopter inexplicably (or purposely) pulled up to the skyport and hovered in space for a minute, essentially drowning out Bevirt's speech.

Bevirt later told me that this is a pivotal moment for Joby and the industry and believes the day's flight is "a good indication of where we are going."

It's notable, though, that the pilot flew alone and only over water. Without FAA approval, the Joby Air Taxi, which could just as easily land in your backyard as this skyport, cannot fly over land. Joby's efforts, though, were fast-tracked by a recent FAA eIPP (eVTOL Integration Pilot Program).

Triggered by an order from US President Donald Trump, the eIPP helps foster public-private partnerships and made the day's flight, a joint operation between Joby and the New York and New Jersey Port Authority, possibly. Full FAA clearance will still be necessary before you catch a Joby from JFK.

Is it safe?

In the meantime, Joby's latest production prototype is jam-packed with safety features, including multiple redundancies that make it possible to continue flying if one of the six propellers fails. Even inside each propeller is a dual system to prevent failure.

Joby representatives believe they may get FAA clearance to fly as early as next year. If so, customers will use the Joby app to book flights, much like they would an Uber. In fact, Joby and Uber are partners, and the idea is that you could book one trip that includes a Joby flight out of JFK and an Uber to pick you up at the skyport.

There's an undeniable cool factor to vertical liftoff from JFK and touching down at your destination, but from a practical perspective, you have to ask why. What's the benefit of living this George Jetson existence? Why not just take an Uber from JFK to Midtown Manhattan? Joby CEO Bevirt has the obvious answer: "5 minutes instead of an hour," he grinned.

While this day's flight took 10 minutes from point to point, a Joby that's allowed to fly over land will get the job done in as little as five minutes.

That sounds amazing, but one can only imagine the costs will be sky (ahem) high. A Joby spokesperson admitted to me that "initially the price might be a bit higher," but they "want to make this accessible to all." Ultimately, it should cost no more than a comparable Uber Black ride. So figure, if and when this operation gets off the ground, $150 per ride.

With a spacious cabin, four leather seats, and big windows, the Joby EV air Taxi could someday be the perfect New York City sightseeing vehicle, but first, the company has to build its EVs. This production prototype is close to the final EV, but Joby still has to build more — a lot more.

Even here, though, the company is bullish. As a vertically aligned company, it builds the components it needs in Ohio and assembles the EV Air Taxis in California. A Joby spokesperson told me that by 2027, they hope to eventually build four aircraft a month.

When Joby has enough Air Taxis and is certified to fly, its first passenger will be CEO Joben Bevirt. When I asked if the vehicles were safe, he said, "Absolutely," and when I followed with if he would be the first passenger, he quickly added, "I am."

• A new fast-charging EV battery has been announced
• It charges from 10%-98% in as little as 6 minutes, 27 seconds
• It offers high-speed charging in temperatures as low as -30°C (-22°F)

Electric vehicle (EV) battery technology has taken another leap forward with a new charging benchmark that's just been set by a Chinese battery giant.

CATL – the market-leading EV battery maker – has announced its Shenxing 3rd Generation Battery, which it claims can charge even quicker than BYD's recently announced, and already impressive, Blade 2.0 offering.

CATL says its new lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery can charge from 10%-35% in one minute, 10%-80% in three minutes 44 seconds, and 10%-98% in six minutes and 27 seconds.

By comparison, BYD's latest battery takes four minutes and 54 seconds to go from 10%-70%, and nine minutes to charge from 10% to 97%.

CATL's new battery can also apparently perform remarkably well in low temperatures (as low as -30°C / -22°F) thanks to its 'self-heating technology'.

Information on this tech is a little thin on the ground for now, but according to CarNewsChina, it "uses pulse rapid heating to solve low-temperature ultra-fast charging challenges".

Low temperatures can significantly reduce the charge speeds of EV batteries, which is why we've seen a number of manufacturers offer heat-pumps (usually as an optional extra, or limited to top-spec models) to aid charging in cold weather.

The suggestion here with CATL's self-heating tech is that there won't be a need for a traditional heat pump, which could save on overall vehicle weight and cost.

Analysis: The future of EV ownership is bright

CATL didn't mention the type of range we can expect from its new battery, although if we take BYD's Blade 2.0 offering as a baseline, 400+ miles looks set to be an achievable marker for these new power packs thanks to increased density.

With greater range, even faster charging, and more affordable models entering the market, the main roadblocks to EV ownership are melting away. CATL did also announce that an update to its Qilin battery is capable of driving 1500km on a single charge.

"The boundaries of electrochemistry are still far from being reached," noted CATL's founder Robin Zeng. "And the possibilities of materials science are still far from being exhausted."

Being able to top-up your EV pretty much as quickly as a gas-powered car is great, but you'll need access to a high-powered charger to get those speeds — and there lies the final major hurdle for the electric market to overcome.

EV charging networks in countries around the world are rapidly expanding – BYD has rolled out its first 1,500kW chargers in China – but it will take some time before there's a readily available network of high-speed chargers across other nations.

The future is certainly bright for EVs though — give this battery technology a year or so to make its way into vehicles, and for charging infrastructure to continue to grow, and electric car ownership is primed for pole position on driveways around the world.

Adam Wood, Renault’s UK managing director, refers to the “Trojan horse” effect of the Renault 5 and Renault 4: two cars that have won over the elusive private buyer in much of Europe, out-selling Tesla and simultaneously introducing EVs to an entirely new audience.

“It looks right, it appeals to the heart and the head, and it is priced right, which is part of the success story,” Wood explained at the launch of the third car in the French marque’s electrified reimagining of iconic models.

The smaller, cuter and altogether more affordable Renault Twingo E-Tech is largely based on the same platform as the Renault 5 and 4, although the overall length has been shortened and the multi-link rear axle has been replaced by a flexible unit borrowed from the Renault Captur.

And apologies if Twingo isn’t ringing any bells — while it was never sold in the US, the original model of the 1990s sold a staggering 4.1 million units in 25 countries, including much of Europe, where it has garnered something of an iconic status. So indulge us a little.

The modern version's onboard batteries now feature a more affordable Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) chemistry and, rather than weighing down the package with an endless row of cells, the useable capacity is a mere 27.5kWh. As a result, the Twingo tips the scales at just 1,200kg, allowing the compact city car to eke out 163 miles from a single charge.

Sensible stuff aside, the 3.79m-long Twingo aims to build on its reputation by offering bags of practicality and character, wrapped up in the latest in-car technology and an electric powertrain that is both capable and comfortable.

All of this should cost a fortune, right? Wrong. Both the Renault 5 and Renault 4 arrived boasting impressively affordable price tags and the Twingo will takes things even further, with Renault execs claiming that it will cost “comfortably” less than €20,000 (around £17,500 / $23,000 / AU$33,500) when it arrives on European roads later this year.

That places it among some of the most affordable electric vehicles on the market, which includes the Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03 — otherwise known as 'compromise on wheels'.

Cheap without the cheapness

Let’s not pretend that the Renault Twingo is something that it isn’t. Max range from the small battery packs is 163 miles, charging speeds are capped at 50kW and, in a surprising move in today’s EV segment, Renault has limited the power output of its electric motor to a relatively measly 82hp.

In the era of massively overpowered electric vehicles, the 0-62mph ‘sprint’ time of 12.1 seconds and the top speed of 81mph feel refreshingly old school. If the French marque wanted to ape the performance of its tiny 1.2 liter, four-cylinder petrol original, it has succeeded.

But where the aforementioned affordable rivals deliver vaguely similar performance credentials, they do so with a heavy compromise on ride quality, cabin quietness and overall refinement. The modern Twingo manages to shirk these unfavorable characteristics.

Sure, there are pop-out windows in the rear, much of the cabin is covered in cheap plastics and the headrests feel like they are filled with air, rather than cushioning foam, but it is all executed with a laser-like focus on design.

The roof is embossed with Twingo ‘alphabet’ lettering, the LED headlamps and taillight design has barely changed from the concept car and the dash features numerous nods to the original Twingo, including the oversized ‘candy-like’ hazard light button.

Renault didn’t have to introduce all of this stuff but it did. The company wanted to cut costs where it could without ridding the vehicle of character and it's all the better for it.

What’s more, the Android Automotive-based infotainment system (a 7-inch driver display and 10-inch touchscreen) is lifted from the Renault 5 and offers a digital experience that simply isn’t found in the city car segment.

Renault is also the first to offer safety assistance packages and Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) capabilities at this sort of price.

A big kid at heart

Renault knows that simply packing a vehicle with funky design touches isn’t enough to win over buyers — today’s cars need to fit in with busy lifestyles and prove competent beyond short strolls to the supermarket.

In this respect, the Twingo offers a number of ingenious solutions to make up for its lack of stature. Inside, all of the seats easily slide and fold on individual rails, meaning stowage space can be freed up wherever it's required.

The boot or trunk has a false floor with a double opening, which frees up an additional 50 liters of stowage space for charging cables and more beneath it, while remaining accessible on one side when larger items are in place.

Inside, the cabin borrows the YouClip accessory system from sister company Dacia, with mounting points dotted around the interior for attaching bag hooks, LED lamps, smartphone cradles and cable organizers.

In essence, owners can customize their cabins using these little gizmos to suit their lifestyle, but there's plenty of handy stowage space for tossing a smartphone or stashing a bottle of water.

It might be small on the outside, but there's big car energy on the inside.

Renault also offers an extensive list of its own clever in-car accessories, which range from small storage boxes to fit between the driver and passenger to a cushioned arm rest that doubles-up as a zippered bag for stashing bottles of water and more.

Bizarrely, the rear of the cabin feels slightly less claustrophobic than the one found in the Renault 5 and rear passengers get a relatively generous amount of leg room when the rear seats are slid all the way rearwards. This does mean you have to compromise on trunk space, though.

And, unlike the original Twingo, this modern interpretation is a proper five-door affair, making it much more comfortable and practical for daily use.

The more mature personality is also reflected in the way the new Twingo drives and rides. Admittedly, the suspension, like that of the Renault 5 E-Tech, feels firm, and the larger 18-inch alloy wheels can crash over speed bumps and larger potholes.

But it’s impressively comfortable over longer distances and can even handle highway speeds without too much in the way of wind roar and road noise drowning out a Spotify soundtrack.

On that subject, the clever interior packaging of the dash and windscreen mean Renault engineers have been able to fit the little Twingo with an Arkamys auditorium audio system with its six speakers. Sound quality is impressive for a vehicle of this size.

Not too serious

Thanks to the fact that Renault has managed to keep weight down to the bare minimum (for an EV, that is), the company has been able to install what it deems as “the most appropriate” battery and motor configuration.

Power isn’t too much, while the battery packs provide enough range for most city-car use cases, as well as the ability to venture further when required. Granted, 50kW isn’t the fastest but Renault says it takes 30 minutes for a 15-80% charge.

On top of this, the aerodynamic and powertrain efficiencies are impressive, with the company claiming 12.2 kWh / 100 km, which is around 5.1 miles per kWh on the WLTP cycle.

During testing, I managed to return around 4.5kWh per mile on a mix of twisting mountain roads and some slower highway driving, according to the onboard efficiency data readouts. Not bad at all, considering the ultra-efficient Mercedes-Benz CLA returns similar figures.

But with all this sensible chat of refinement, charging speeds and range, it would be easy to think the Twingo E-Tech is a bit boring. Thankfully, it’s not.

The powertrain is fantastically well judged, to the point where you can spend an unfathomable amount of time with the right foot buried to the carpet.

Occasionally, the front wheels scramble for grip and the Twingo scampers around tight bends, but it’s joyous in a way that only lightweight, low-powered cars can be. This is the sort of model you'd happily receive when playing the holiday car rental lottery.

There’s an overarching sense of fun here, and if the Renault 5 and 4 E-Tech were modern, design-led takes on beloved French classics, the Twingo is an altogether more faithful representation of the original.

Super low-cost, fuss-free motoring for the electric generation, but one that doesn’t feel like its maker has cut every conceivable corner.

A sensational smaller sibling. The Trojan pony to the 5 E-Tech’s Trojan horse.

The world sat up and took notice when Hyundai introduced its game-changing Ioniq 5 N.

Here was a big, heavy electric vehicle — bereft of snarling engine notes and an engaging manual gearbox — that somehow reintroduced the joy of driving to a genre that has been described as “soulless”, “utilitarian” and “devoid of any emotion” by those that love internal combustion engines.

Hyundai’s small team of dedicated engineers worked tirelessly for years to produce simulated engine noises, synthetic gear shifts and a stiffened platform that could handle the monumental amount of torque and horsepower produced by a race-tuned electric powertrain.

Using all of its experience in endurance racing and the World Rally Championship, Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N delivered fun, thrills and smoky drifts by the bucketful, with the South Korean marque arguably beating far more established sports car manufacturers to the unofficial title of ‘their first genuinely fun EV’.

Not one to rest on its laurels, Hyundai has once again put its N Division to work, using its knowledge and experience to fine-tune the marque’s Ioniq 6 EV and inject a similar amount of grin-inducing juice into the slightly madcap sedan.

Arguably a more ‘mature’ option than the hot hatch Ioniq 5 N, the 6 N has to be able to handle those more mundane trips between business meetings and offer a level of comfort that executive types expect.

Dr Jekyll has to be able to suppress Mr Hyde to a great degree, if you will. No mean feat, considering Hyundai decided to imbue the 6 N with 650hp, 770Nm of torque and a top speed of almost 160mph.

Subtle changes

To get to the bottom of what makes the 6 N tick, you really have to start tearing it apart. There’s an all-new suspension system to kick off proceedings, complete with Stroke Sensing Electronically Controlled Suspension (ECS) dampers and a lower roll center to improve high-speed grip and handling.

Upgrades to axle stiffness also improve performance through faster corners, while the electronically adjustable suspension has a much wider bandwidth than the 5 N. It soaks up bumps at lower speeds and is generally less fidgety on highway surfaces.

Then there are all of the tweaks and changes to the technology that made the 5 N so fun in the first place. Engineers have added an additional gear to the N e-Shift system (a simulation of an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission), giving the driver even more to play with on track or on the road, while upgraded software and hardware in the sound system makes the N Active Sound+ even more realistic.

The Ioniq 6 N has its own bespoke engine note, which feels coarser and less digital than the one found in the 5 N, while the sound system handles the location of the synthesized pops, crackles and bangs with greater accuracy. It genuinely does sound like the vehicle is burbling and banging from its non-existent exhaust pipes.

Finally, the Hyundai N division has also worked on its Drift mode, handing choice over to the driver in the form of a fully customizable system that can now be used to tweak the amount of wheel-spin, torque distribution between the front and rear, and the aggressiveness of steering input required to initiate smoky rear tires.

Sensible fun

There’s no denying the Ioniq 6 N is the more sensible of the two high-performance EVs. It looks more grown-up from the outside, with only the huge ‘swan-neck’ rear spoiler and 20-inch forged alloy wheels giving the game away. Remove the rear spoiler and you have the ultimate ‘sleeper’ car.

It’s clearly slightly lower than the standard car, but not aggressively so, while the interior receives a healthy dose of sportiness without feeling over the top.

The bucket seats for front passengers do a great job of keeping torsos planted through faster corners but remain hugely comfortable over longer highway journeys. Similarly, the round N Pasubio steering wheel adds a few extra buttons to control modes without looking like it has been stolen from an F1 car.

On the subject of buttons, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N is absolutely covered in them, with physical switches taking care of most key functionality. Despite most automotive journalists — and some sectors of the public — crying out for more physical switchgear, it’s a bit much here.

Regardless, it is a well-trimmed cabin and the rear is large and comfortable enough to seat two adults or three kids. Plus, there’s a cavernous trunk for stashing everyday accoutrements.

Despite packing the same sort of horsepower as a modern supercar, the Ioniq 6 N can also still return 291 miles on a single charge according to the European WLTP cycle. Thanks to an 800V electrical architecture and 350kW max charge speed, it can also blitz the 10–80% charge in 18 minutes.

Joon Park, the man in charge of Hyundai’s N Division, said that he and his team have always aimed for a 20:20 split, meaning keen drivers can enjoy 20 minutes on track, before charging for 20 minutes and then heading back out again.

In fact, Hyundai has installed ultra-fast charging outlets at some of the most popular public race circuits in South Korea and Europe, including the Nürburgring, where anyone with an electric N product can charge for free.

Everyday sportscar

Perhaps intentionally, Hyundai chose to run almost exactly the same launch program as that of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. The same sunny Spanish roads, the same Parcmotor Castellolí race circuit and even largely the same weather.

With the first task being navigating the chaotic streets of Barcelona, the Ioniq 6 N was able to highlight just how smooth and easy to drive it is. In Normal or Eco driving modes, the steering is light, the suspension pliant and there’s enough ground clearance to easily crest speed bumps and potholes.

Prod the accelerator and it’s clear there’s plenty of power lurking beneath, but it never feels unmanageable.

The steering wheel houses N1 and N2 drive mode buttons, which can be configured to tweak the steering, torque delivery and suspension firmness. You can set these various modes to include or exclude the N Active Sound+ synthesized engine note, the simulated gear shifting and various digital screen layouts.

There’s also a bright red button that is labeled GRB, which is short for N Grin Boost. Depress this button and the vehicle provides maximum motor output for up to 10 seconds… perfect for rapid overtaking.

Once out of the slower city traffic, we were quickly in the winding hills outside of Barcelona, where flicking the Ioniq 6 N into one of its racier profiles almost came naturally. Hyundai’s simulated engine note comes to life and taking over ‘manual’ gear changes is a joy.

With more cogs to play with, the driving experience is even more involving than before, while the artificial rev limiter and flashing lights on the dash make it very easy to forget that it doesn’t have an engine.

However, the 6 N settles back down into a mature-feeling sedan once the fun is over, proving quiet and comfortable on the highways. Get rid of the synthesized sound and the cabin is relaxing, while that revised suspension does a great job of floating over road surfaces.

Track monster

Once again we head to the race circuit and once again, it is difficult not to be impressed by what Hyundai’s N Division has achieved with its various software simulations.

The artificial dual-clutch gearbox can be used in any mode, meaning it is possible to cruise around a race circuit in Comfort, cycling up and down through the gears like you would in a conventional car.

What’s more, the programmed engine braking and power delivery are beyond realistic, to the point that selecting the wrong gear as you head up a long, climbing straight will result in limited torque as the ‘engine’ struggles to pile on the revs.

Naturally, the car’s raciest N modes are best suited to pummeling circuits and the full 650hp with N Launch Control activated gets the EV off the starting line and up to 62mph in a neck-snapping 3.2 seconds.

Speed only builds from here and it’s not long before the first corner arrives. Hard on the brakes, cycle down through the gears and the nose dives, revealing that the Ioniq 6 N still weighs in excess of 2,000kg, but the brakes are strong and the body control excellent.

It remains flat as it crests through the first corner, where it is time to start working your way back up through the gearbox again — a solid thump in the chest as it engages each artificial cog.

All the time, the drive is soundtracked by various pops, crackles and bangs from the sound system, with shift lights on the dashboard doing a great job of imitating those found in Ferraris, McLarens and M Performance BMWs.

For those that like to get a little loose, Hyundai’s N Drift Optimizer has been updated with adjustable initiation, angle and wheel-spin control. Alternatively, turn all of the traction assistance off and the 6 N can be coaxed into wild skids.

While not exactly a generational leap from the Ioniq 5 N, Hyundai’s latest performance EV is an altogether more refined vehicle. One that once again delivers on the racetrack, but a model that also transforms back into a more comfortable long-distance cruiser.

With prices starting at £65,800 in the UK for the 6 N (around $87,500 / AU$125,600), it’s no more expensive than the 5 N, which feels extremely generous considering the enhancements.

Where the Ioniq 5 N is arguably the more spacious and practical car, the 6 N ushers in changes that make it the more comfortable and capable machine. A more senior offering that just so happens to be a big kid at heart.

We've already waxed lyrical about the excellent efficiency of Mercedes’ recent CLA, with its clever gearing system tuned to eke the most out of its onboard battery packs during long bouts of high speed driving — a scenario that usually obliterates range.

This factor alone clearly had me distracted at the original launch event as, between hyper-miling on Danish roads and messing around with the German marque’s new voice assistant, I didn't have time to test out its other great feature — autonomous parking functionality.

Before getting into the meat of this feature, I’d like to admit two things. Firstly, I completely understand autonomous parking functionality exists in other automotive products (Tesla owners, put down your pitchforks) and yes, it has been around for some time. The issue is, I rarely bother to use them.

By the time I’ve rummaged around the various on-screen menus or pressed the appropriate series of switches, I could have parked the car myself, so often have.

But the thing that impressed me the most about the Mercedes-Benz CLA’s autonomous parking functionality during a recent loan was the ease at which the functionality was presented and then activated.

There’s video evidence below, should you want some visuals. But take it from me — the CLA simply knows when you are about to park and actively starts hunting for a space.

Once located, it relays its findings via jumbo, idiot-proof graphics on the central touchscreen, so you can make your preferred parking choice. It handles typical parking bay scenarios, as well as trickier parallel or reverse-parking situations.

What’s more, it doesn’t hang around once you have decided upon a space. The CLA flicks the indicators on and slips into that space in a manner that won’t have traffic behind raging with impatience.

Street smarts

Thanks to living in a busy terraced street, I’m used to street-parking my vehicles. But hey, I am human and mess up a parallel parking maneuvers every now and then, having to take a second stab at it because I’ve come in too hot, overcooked the angle or ended up too far away from the curb.

During my time with the Mercedes CLA, it autonomously aced that particular move. Every. Single. Time.

Biblical rain? No problems. Spookily dark street? Easy peasy. It was borderline irritatingly good at it, the steering wheel swirling with enviable confidence.

While the EV is doing its thing, the driver is encouraged to keep an eye on proceedings and cover the brakes (just in case), but the extensive suite of cameras and sensors are fantastically accurate when it comes to detecting parked cars and avoiding scraping expensive alloy wheels on raised curbs.

There were a couple of times where I had to manually shifted the car over in particularly cramped parking bays, as the CLA hadn’t left me a lot of room to get out, but it wasn’t often.

Having been deterred by other systems that have proven painfully slow, indecisive or wildly inaccurate, I had largely written off autonomous parking. Not now.

An ace all-rounder

The suite of technology that graces the interior of many modern Mercedes’ isn’t perfect, as there’s still far too much reliance on haptic buttons and touchscreens for me.

A pair of sliders on the CLA’s steering wheel that adjust volume and cruise control speed are too easily brushed when navigating tight corners and roundabouts, for example.

There were multiple times when the radio suddenly became aggressively loud or I accidentally activated a 15mph speed limiter.

Similarly, it took me far too long to locate the icon that activated the rear window de-mister. This stuff needs to be mapped to fixed buttons.

However, these really are minor grumbles, because the infotainment is largely quick to respond and accurate, with the “Hey Mercedes!” voice assistant doing a good job of adjusting vehicle setting and taking care of navigational duties.

I was demoed its skills with Google Maps during a pre-launch event and I’m pleased to report that the voice assistant can still help with queries in a natural manner.

You can ask it to recommend places to eat in the area, or even navigate to the fastest and most convenient chargers.

But above all else, it is the USP that impressed me the most at launch that continues to set the CLA apart from the EV competition today: efficiency.

The low, sleek saloon is one of the best electric passenger cars currently on sale for an accurate and reliable range read-out, even when journeys involve lots of high speed motorways or highways.

During a week of testing, I used the car everyday for local trips and chores, as well as a 200-mile round trip to the airport. This was in mixed weather with lots of rain and plenty of very cold mornings.

The car was delivered with around 90% charge and it still displayed a healthy 20% – or around 80-miles of remaining range – when I returned it seven days later.

In most other battery-powered vehicles I have tested recently, I would have been forced to plug in at least once during that typical week. The fact is made worse when said forced charging session is in the middle of the night on the way home from an airport.

So I stand by my original missive that efficiency can be exciting — and it’s even more attractive when your EV takes the pain out of parallel parking.

To many Porsche purists, the GTS badge represents the pinnacle of performance. It’s never reserved for the most banzai cars (Turbo or GT does that) but it fine-tunes the experience to make it the most focussed and, dare we say it, ‘Porsche-like’ of the range.

Early Carrera GTS models were a testament to this, including the 911, 924 and 928, while more recent iterations of the Boxster and 911 GTS were standalone cars in their own right, with unique engine set-ups designed to give them a character like no other.

This brings us neatly onto the latest Macan GTS, which I recently took for a test-drive. While it possible to argue until sunrise about the legitimacy of electrified SUVs sporting Turbo and GTS badges in the first place, it is the most "dynamic" and “emotional” Macan model in the range, according to its maker.

Essentially a slightly pared-back Turbo, the GTS uses the same dual motor set-up as its madder sibling, albeit one that makes 571hp (when launch control is engaged), as opposed to the slightly bonkers 639hp of the more expensive range-topper.

There’s also the same 95kWh battery pack that is good for 362 miles of range, while drivers get the same 800V electrical architecture that’s found on the upcoming Cayenne and Taycan – one that is capable of brimming batteries from 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 21 minutes

So why spend £97,500 (around $133,000 / AU$187,000) on the Turbo when the £89,000 (around $133,000 / AU$170,000) GTS will do much of the same thing and then some This was exactly the question I was left mulling after driving the new car in France recently.

Specs appeal

While the Macan GTS doesn’t exactly get a completely bespoke list of additional niceties, it does get arguably the best selection of specifications that Porsche offers.

There’s the option of the unmistakable Carmine Red paints for a start, flared wheel arches, bespoke side skirts, 22-inch RS Spyder wheels and tinted LED taillights. The interior packs blacked-out Race-Tex elements, while all cars receive Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus), air suspension and the marque's excellent suspension management. There’s also rear-wheel steering.

Granted, many of these options can be ticked when specifying lesser Macans, such as the 4S model, but Porsche has done all of the hard work for you here and tuned it with these systems in mind.

The result is a 2,395kg electric SUV that handles and behaves like a much lighter sports car. Acceleration is understandably brisk, but not offensively so, while the steering is direct and offers plenty of feedback.

Hurling this monster through some of the tight mountain roads outside Nice was made all the easier by rear-wheel steering, which magically disguises the size, and the enormous brakes effortlessly scrub off speed. It’s possible to cover ground very quickly in this car.

Cleverly, Porsche has also designed some signature synthesized engine notes for the GTS, which changes its tone depending on the mode. In Normal, it’s switched off for a more relaxed feel, but Sport introduces some thrum, while Sport Plus brings in a bassy burble that gets louder as the revs pile on.

Although not quite the Jekyll & Hyde difference that’s experienced when cycling through the various modes in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, it does a magnificent job of completely altering the Macan’s characteristics.

A parking pro

Porsche is introducing a number of technological firsts in this GTS model, including the ability to now pair Bluetooth accessories to the various digital displays inside the car.

This is particularly important for those that specify the optional 10.9-inch passenger display, which can now be combined with a PlayStation or Xbox controller to make the most of blockbuster games, such as Asphalt 9.

There is also a plethora of new parking technology, which will hunt out an appropriate space and then parks up automatically. It can also be 'trained' to execute tricky maneuvers. Once programmed, the vehicle will recognize the surroundings and offer to take over driving duties next time.

Similarly, there’s also a new reversing assistant that logs the last 50m of any trip and will then autonomously reverse that route. It is a similar system to that first debuted by BMW, but it makes navigating tight European roads a doddle. All you have to do is cover the brakes.

While these factors are likely at the bottom of a wishlist when purchasing a performance Porsche, it is further proof of the Macan’s immense bandwidth. This is a car that can be abused around a race track, taken off-road and then remote-parked in the parking lot later that day.

A sweet spot

The Porsche Macan GTS doesn’t exactly represent a fantastic saving over its Turbo counterpart (£8,500 /$11,500 / AU$16,000, if you’d like to know), but those numbers feel considerable when you realize the additional horsepower offered by the range-topper isn’t really missed here.

Instead, Porsche engineers have managed to create a sort of Goldilocks model from the seemingly endless trim and specification options that the brand offers, one that rides beautifully, delivers plenty of dynamism on the right roads, consistently performs on the race circuit and then settles back into a quiet and comfortable cruiser at the weekends.

This Macan likely won’t go down in Porsche history as one of the most iconic GTS models ever made, but it applies the brand’s race-derived knowhow to its electric range with tangible results.

Immensely fun on any road but still able to do the EV stuff with ease, this feels like the Macan to have if driving dynamics are still important to you.

Back in 2019, Jaguar Land Rover won a landmark court case in Beijing that prevented the Evoque-mimicking Landwind X7 from being sold. The almost-laughable copycat behavior was mocked mercilessly – but times have changed, and China is now the very epicenter of EV technology.

It has the most advanced battery systems, with the likes of CATL and BYD tipped to be the first to mass-produce game-changing solid-state packs, while its lead in both rapid-charging and autonomous driving systems is undeniable.

With that in mind, it seems strange to me that many of those Chinese brands making waves in Europe and beyond continue to base their models on established and instantly-recognizable designs.

The Jaecoo 7, for example, was quickly labelled the 'Temu Range Rover' by the social media sect, given that it essentially mashes design cues from the Range Rover Evoque and Velar into a package that costs half of Jaguar Land Rover’s vehicles.

A more recent unveiling form Xpeng proved that Jaecoo’s decision to be influenced by one of the leading names in luxury SUVs wasn’t a fluke accident, as the upcoming Xpeng GX (see the image at the top of this article) looks so much like a Range Rover that the majority of the general public would find it difficult to tell them apart.

Although not available outside of China just yet, the Geely Galaxy Cruiser, which is slated to reach the UK in 2028, borrows certain design elements from the Land Rover Defender wholesale, including the side gear carriers, the rear-mounted spare wheel cover and, well, almost every exterior panel for that matter.

BYD’s premium arm YangWang is also partial to copying some of Land Rover’s homework, as the massive U8 borrows a number of body panel designs from both JLR and Rolls-Royce to create a sort of Chinese take on luxury SUVs – one that’s both eerily similar and uniquely gauche at the same time.

The imitation game

But it isn’t just British luxury SUV-makers that fall victim to the imitation game. Xpeng’s G6 also ruffled a few feathers upon launch, seeing as it’s almost impossible to tell it apart from the updated Tesla Model Y. Even the interior feels like a carefully-studied copy.

While Jaguar Land Rover and car-making goliath Chery Automobile have an ongoing joint venture in China, I still feel that is lazy to simply base designs on what they see.

The Xiaomi YU7, which comes from one of the most cutting-edge tech companies outside of California, proved the company could nail electric performance, but then it looks like an amalgamation of a Porsche and a Ferrari. Why not develop a design that’s truly unique?

While this might seem like an issue for a bit of a car nerd like myself, it doesn’t seem to bother the paying public.

A transition period?

The Jaecoo 7 became an almost instant hit when it was launched in the UK last year, with over 26,048 units registered in 2025, making up the bulk of the company’s sales. It even outsold the once all-conquering Nissan Qashqai.

Owners don't seem to mind that passers-by are often left scratching their heads. All they really care about is the fact that it starts at just £30,115 (around $41,000 / AU$58,000), which is far less than any Range Rover offering, and that it offers a hefty amount of high-tech kit as standard. Jaecoo’s hybrid systems are also more sophisticated and more efficient.

Some insiders believe that the Chinese automotive industry is going through a transition period right now, where it moves from an imitator to an innovator, with brands like Zeekr, Lynk & Co and NIO already starting to carve out their own design language.

Javier Garcia-Gallardo, head of Zeekr’s Shanghai design studio, told Car Design News that he thinks that car culture is building in the country and that in 10-20 years' time, we will see more brand differentiation and “future icons" emerging from China.

But until that point, we will have to witness Jaguar Land Rover’s entire back catalogue performed by your local pub’s cover band.

The MG S5 isn’t the most exciting car that the Chinese automaker has brought to Western markets in recent months, but it is probably the brand’s most important. Built to be electric from the ground up, the new SUV adds a bunch of quality-of-life improvements atop the MG4’s foundations and feels like a worthwhile attempt at shooting for mass-market appeal – or at least moreso than with the company’s massively successful hatchback, the gorgeous Cyberster roadster.

The S5 is also important for another couple of reasons – this is a car that replaces MG’s first electric model, the ZS EV, while being powered by the very same technology underpinning one of my favourite EVs, the MG4. That makes this otherwise innocuous electric SUV quite interesting, particularly to see if MG has managed to inject the S5 with the same shot of excitement that made the MG4 such a blockbuster.

The reality of the S5 is, sadly, a bit more quaint. It isn’t destined to be the practical pocket rocket that the MG4 was, which is particularly obvious when you notice that (unlike the latter) there’s no dual-motor version of the S5, nor a long-range-battery option that puts it on par with the exceptional range of the highest-end MG4. Instead MG has kept the S5 to a three model line-up (or four model line-up, including extended range options in some markets), omitting one of the things that made the MG4 so competitive with its five model range.

Being a physically bigger car with the exact same battery and motor arrangement, it’s perhaps no surprise that the S5 has less range than the MG4. It also offers a fairly beaten-down acceleration that gives it some lag before moving at top speed – something I was particularly sad about, as I loved the sportiness of the 4.

But this is all cart before the horse; there is at least a logical reason MG has done it this way. The MG S5 is designed to be a more practical day-to-day car than the MG4, more befitting somebody after a comfortable family car than a small electric hot hatch. It’s priced extremely well in both the UK and Australia, and despite having a lower battery range than the 4, it’s still particularly efficient.

Underlining all of this is MG’s redesigned interior. The MG4 has easily one of the worst interiors of any electric car on the market, with a tiny touchscreen and sparse detail, along with a fairly uninspiring instrument cluster. The MG S5 admirably upends all of this, with a much more attractive setup that’s headlined by a larger touchscreen and integrated apps like Spotify and YouTube. I personally love the fact that Android Auto and Apple CarPlay now come wireless with the car (both were wired with the MG4), as it tops off the convenience factor without the need for cables.

MG S5 specs

This one’s not for hoons

For the most part, the MG S5 does feel like a more polished version of the MG4 applied to an SUV frame. The operating system and user interface both feel leaps and bounds ahead of the MG4’s, which is particularly welcome given how spare these felt in that car. It’s a welcome innovation from the once-British, now-Chinese carmaker, which has long struggled in comparison to BYD when it comes to delivering a more premium-feeling experience – though to its credit, MG has rarely been undercut on performance.

The cabin also feels a lot better put together, lacking the cheap, undetailed look of the 4 and replacing it with a fairly standard-looking EV cockpit, fit with a larger central display and a sensible approach to physical air conditioning controls.

It’s on this front that the S5 makes its best impression. MG has put all of its energy into improving the achilles heel of the MG4, while not really touching performance at all. That’s not a bad thing – and it’s not a bad car.

Let’s start with the simple – the premium Essence/Trophy model, as seen in this article, comes with a glorious cabin-spanning glass roof that can be covered by a roller shade. This is terrific and was one of the things curiously absent from the original MG4 – so I’m happy to see it debut with the S5.

The seats are more comfortable in the S5 than in the 4, which isn’t surprising given the added space of an SUV over a hatchback, but is still worth mentioning if you’re on the fence between the models. The instrument cluster is also a lot nicer-looking, and is now housed on an indented screen inside the dashboard, rather than a hovering display, adding to the premium internal aesthetic.

The biggest accolades go to the software. While the operating system still has a small bit of lag here and there when switching between pages – and its buttons are often a bit difficult to tap with the screen’s borders so large – MG has made meaningful improvements to the user experience. The larger screen is nicer to interact with, the inbuilt third party apps are fast and seamless, and on the whole it just feels more thoughtful.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that the S5 has added over-the-air updates, where software updates can be delivered directly at any time rather than needing to be taken to a dealer, and this remains a major drawback compared to other EV makers.

Adaptive cruise control remains fairly standard in the S5 – it works as expected and is neither bad or praiseworthy – and energy consumption is generally quite efficient. Mixed highway driving between Sydney and Newcastle 200km to the North saw the car report 16kWh/100km, which is perfectly in line with other cars at this price point.

Recharging speed was never a problem, though I’d obviously recommend opting for one of the two Long Range models if you’re going to be doing lots of highway driving. If you’re after a city tripper, you’d probably be fine with the other trims.

On the whole, it’s good that MG hasn’t messed with the sauce that made the 4 so good when reimagining it as an SUV. The comfortable RWD drivetrain at this pricepoint is particularly welcome, as is the 150kW recharging capacity with the Trophy/Essence models. So what’s holding the MG S5 back?

So what’s not so good about the MG S5?

When I re-reviewed the MG4 in early 2025, I refreshed my opinion on the car. It wasn’t simply my favourite EV in the entry-level Australian segment (or lower mid-range segment in the UK) because of its brilliant driving dynamics, nor necessarily its fairly good price for the battery range on offer. Rather it was because of the broadly satisfying line-up of trims. On offer were five variants (including an exceptionally fast performance model) with distinct specs, extras and battery sizes. This empowered the buyer in truly shopping for what they wanted, picking the trim that best suited their lifestyle while still getting a solid car overall.

The MG S5 shrinks the appeal of the MG4 into, essentially, two models – each of which comes in either a standard fitout, or a luxury trim with a Long Range battery. (Note that prospective UK buyers only have three options, with the standard Essence/Trophy model unavailable.) The base-model Excite with all the essentials, and then the Trophy (or Essence) that adds a bunch of great extras, like a 360 camera, power-lifted trunk door and an electric driver’s seat. Just like with the MG4, there’s still no electric front passenger seat – even with the luxury option – which I just find confusing at this point.

It’s not a bad arrangement MG has here, but I do miss the higher-end 77kWh battery option that’s available with the MG4. That would have gone a long way in relieving range anxiety from some customers, but ultimately MG has elected to axe it (and the carmaker has told us it’s not even long for this world with the MG4 either).

However, what’s undeniable is that the S5 is leaps and bounds ahead of the model it replaces, the MG ZS EV. The latter is getting quite long in the tooth, with unimpressive charging speeds and battery capacities, a fairly boring interior and (by all accounts) fairly underwhelming performance. That being said, I think it's a real shame that the S5 loses most of the MG4's sportiness, meaning it's just not as fun to drive.

While there’s honestly no need for an SUV at this price point to be a track toy, when merging onto highways I would have absolutely appreciated the extra grunt that I know the MG4 can deliver. However, I’m pretty comfortable calling this a fairly well-rounded car across all trims and it certain brings the fight to similarly priced EVs, such as the BYD Atto 3.

Should you buy the MG S5?

Despite its drawbacks, the MG S5 is my top pick among cheap electric SUVs in Australia, however, I think it’s a more difficult proposition in the UK. It’s price-competitive with the massively popular BYD Atto 3 (AU$39,990) in Australia, along with the Chery Omoda E5 (AU$42,990) making it one of the best value electric SUVs Down Under. In the UK, the entry-level trim is competitive at £28,745, while the long range variants, starting at £31,245, are in tight competition with the Kia EV3 (£33,000) and Volvo EX30 (£32,850).

If you need a family SUV and want it to be electric, but also wouldn’t mind some interesting driving dynamics while also getting a fairly neutral but nice interior, then I’d recommend taking the MG S5 for a test drive. If you’re not shopping for those exact criteria, however, I’d recommend checking out the aforementioned alternatives.

We've gotten our first glimpse of the Jonny Ive, Marc Newson-designed Ferrari Luce electric supercar cockpit, and aside from the stunning aesthetic, it's perhaps most notable for what it doesn't include: a touchscreen.

I still remember the first time I sat in the passenger seat of a Tesla Model S and was confronted with its 17-inch portrait-mode display. A novelty at the time, the huge flat panel was placed squarely between the driver and me. While there was a much smaller dashboard display for the driver, a lot of the information about our drive, including critical information like the nearest charging station, was all on that touch display.

Since then, I've sat in countless other modern cars, many of them featuring big touchscreens (though rarely that big – other Teslas, aside from the Cybertruck, feature somewhat smaller touch screens) placed dead center on the dash. Tesla started a trend – and it's one that former Apple Chief Designer Ive would apparently like to stop in its tracks.

Speaking this week at a roundtable event, Ive told The Drive, "Yeah, I think a large touchscreen practically, functionally, doesn’t work. That’s incontrovertible."

That's right, the man perhaps most responsible for bringing multi-touch devices into our lives via the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, thinks they have no place in the car experience.

“It served a purpose when we developed it, but we were very clear about why we developed it for the products we did,” Ive added.

That comment, which focuses on design matching purpose, echoes those made over the years by Ive's former boss, the late Apple cofounder and CEO Steve Jobs, who insisted that MacBooks did not need and should never offer touchscreens. He said the design would be unergonomic and would lead to arm fatigue. Plus, there were all those finger smudges to contend with, which might degrade the experience.

Touchscreens everywhere?

Over time, those assertions have held less water as Apple has moved the iPad closer and closer to the MacBook. The latest iPadOS supports a multi-window experience that would be at home on any laptop, and there are also more than a few rumors claiming we may still see a touchscreen MacBook.

The analogy for cars, though, only goes so far. There's arguably a bigger and more important reason for not using touchscreens in cars: safety.

I own an aging Mazda 6 that does include a center-mounted infotainment screen. When the car is in motion, the touchscreen capabilities cease functioning, and I have to use a multi-control knob on the center console mounted between our seats. Of course, that display doesn't have mission-critical information on it. I might also contend that tapping it while driving isn't that distracting.

However, in explaining why he so dislikes touchscreens on cars, Ive mentioned functions being buried layers deep, and the driver looking at the screen when they shouldn't be.

The Ferrari Luce does have a large-ish, center-mounted, rotating console, but it's not a touchscreen. Instead, each feature appears to be controlled by distinct and beautifully-designed buttons. This interior manages to be modern yet classic, a distinctive Ive touch if there ever was one.

The case for and against in-car touchscreens

During that first drive in a Model S, I recall that I, as a passenger, spent a lot of time staring at that big screen while my driver kept his eyes firmly glued to the road. As we started to run low on charge, he finally started tapping the display to find the next available charging station. He did it casually and with only passing glances at the screen. I didn't think he was distracted, but then he knew the car, and knew how to navigate the Tesla platform.

Ive may be right that sometimes we take an innovation too far, and to places it doesn't belong, but I'm not convinced that touchscreens don't belong in a car. I see the benefit of getting valuable information at a tap (though perhaps voice control might be better), and I think Tesla and other auto manufacturers know well enough not to bury any critical information too deeply in the system. These touchscreen systems are designed to support the drive, and are not bolted on tablets with intricate, many-levels-deep operating systems.

In-cockpit touchscreens make sense when they focus on images and large, obvious controls, and I would not draw a through-line from looking and touching these screens to texting while driving – as someone who's driven alongside such lunatics, I can see how long it takes them to read and type while they swerve all over the road.

That said, poorly-designed in-car touchscreens that put too much of a car's functionality into the display might pose a safety risk. In fact, the US National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration sets guidelines for locking out non-driving functions while driving (though these rules are now 26 years old), and there's a broader consensus that long periods of time spent using these screens can pose a safety risk.

While I don't agree with Ive, I do see a need for moderation. The car I want will have a mix of big touchscreens and physical buttons. I worry that in an effort to remove touch, car manufacturers might simply remove big displays, and then I lose, for instance, that large, turn-by-turn navigation I love.

Ive's Ferrari Luce design makes a statement about in-car touchscreens, but it's unlikely to be as influential as Ive's work on multi-touch consumer devices. After all, when the electric supercar does finally arrive in 2028 it might cost $500,000, ensuring that it only appeals to the ultra-rich.

If Ive is serious about wiping the scourge of touchscreens from all car cockpits, he might consider partnering up with Ford or Toyota to design a cabin for a truly affordable EV.

• We've got our first proper look at the electric Ferrari Luce
• The cockpit was designed by Jony Ive and Marc Newson
• Ive says he's not a fan of touchscreens inside cars

Jony Ive never did get to make a car while he was the design chief at Apple, but he's now partnered with Ferrari to design the cockpit of the upcoming Luce electric car – while taking a swipe at the interior look of Tesla vehicles.

Teslas are well known for their large touchscreen dashboards, and a lack of physical dials and buttons. That wasn't the way Ive wanted to go with his own creation, made with his design partner Marc Newson, according to roundtable quotes given to The Drive and Autocar.

"I think a large touchscreen practically, functionally, doesn't work," says Ive. "That's incontrovertible. You have to look [at it], which you shouldn't be. You've designed [something that's] layers and layers deep."

Ive clearly isn't a fan of Tesla interiors. "This idea that because the power source is electric the interface should be digital is nonsense. That makes no sense to me at all," he added.

That might be surprising, given Ive is largely responsible for the aesthetics of the iPad and iPhone. But the touchscreen on those products "served a purpose" Ive says, while pointing out that the inside of a car is "such a challenging and different environment".

Inside the Luce

On to the Ferrari Luce then, and so far we only have a teaser of the cabin for the electric vehicle. A full reveal is expected in May, but we now have an official look at the steering wheel, gauge cluster, dash, and center console.

There is a central touchscreen that can be moved around to suit the driver, but there are also plenty of dials, buttons, and levers to play around with. That physicality and tactility seems to have been an important consideration for Ive and Newson.

“One of the things that we felt very strongly about was we wanted to explore an interface that was physical and that was engaging, and that was to take the most powerful parts of analogue displays and combine them with digital displays,” Ive said at the unveiling.

Ferrari's first fully electric car has been a long time coming, and was originally slated to show up in 2025. The name Luce was chosen as it means a light source in Italian, and it's also a colloquial term for electricity.

There's extensive use of anodized aluminum and strengthened Corning glass here, which is another callback to the iPhone and the iPad. We'll keep you posted on this hugely anticipated EV as we get closer to the full reveal from Ferrari.

This year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was awash with humanoid robots. Brands used little dancing droids to attract crowds to stands, while amateur teams of engineers conducted impromptu robot-offs in the car park.

As a result, it was easy to view these often diminutive bits of technology as a novelty – until, that is, Hyundai’s 90kg Atlas humanoid robot stomped onto stage a day before the show floor opened to the public.

Measuring around 5ft tall, with the ability to reach up to heights of around 7.5ft when fully extended, Atlas is the brainchild of Boston Dynamics, the world-renowned robotics company that already has its Spot robotic dogs busy working on everything from security details to quality control shifts.

But Atlas, which is fully capable of walking (with some swagger), waving and performing the odd backflip, is an entirely different proposition and one that Hyundai Motor Group, the company that now owns an 80% stake in Boston Dynamics, hopes could prove a rich future revenue stream for the business.

Due to begin production imminently, the humanoids will then be trained at the firm’s new Robot Metaplant Application Center (RMAC), where robots learn human collaboration by mapping movements such as lifts, turns, and recoveries into precision training for repetitive and complex tasks.

Following that, Atlas will begin deployment across Hyundai’s various smart factories, with a view to manufacture some 30,000 units by the year 2028.

“Over the past several decades, most manufacturers have automated everything that they can automate,” explains Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter.

“The work that is left is difficult to automate in a cost-effective way. And that's because the tasks have huge variation. Whether it’s the parts varying from car-to-car or because the tasks involve assembly and close-knit tolerance and things that you can't do with the traditional robots,” he adds.

Consistency is key

During various demonstrations on the Hyundai booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center, which was easily one of the most popular this year, Atlas could be seen moving car parts from one storage area to another — its 56-degrees of movement allowing it swivel its entire body to move between storage bins, rather than having to walk.

Similarly, its dexterous fingers could grasp an array of objects, even down to the small and delicate stuff, and move it accurately. Weather-proofing ensures it can work outside and when its batteries run dry, it simply walks over to a charing dock and replaces them itself.

While the speed at which Atlas could perform these tasks wasn’t exactly mind-blowing, chief strategy officer at Boston Dynamics, Marc Theerman, explained to me that this wasn’t really the point.

“Humans might be super efficient at 9am in the morning, but our studies suggest that this efficiency drops off throughout the day. With this sort of automation, you need consistency, and the robot never gets tired, and the robot runs at a consistent speed with little interventions,” he explains.

In this respect, Atlas has been designed to be put to work on the sort of shifts and tasks that would have unions calling for strike action. Downtime? No way. The company ensured that most of Atlas’ parts are easily interchangeable if the worst happens.

“If an arm, a leg of even a hand is broken, these parts can be swapped by anyone with even the slightest bit of training in a matter of minutes,” Theerman says. “This was something we learnt from our Spot robot, our customers don’t want any downtime to fix robots,” he adds.

Believe the hype

While humanoid robots are currently at the very epicenter of the hype cycle, there is a valid reason for choosing this form. Theerman says that he predicts many Atlas units will be put to work in facilities that were never designed for robots in the first place.

“The average plant in Europe or the United States is probably 35 years old. And so if you want to automate a plant like that, without fixed automation, you need something that looks like a human, because that's what the plant was designed for,” he says.

A quick scan of the Boston Dynamics back catalogue reveals plenty of other robots, such as its Stretch logistics bot that is solely used for warehouse operations, that can be implemented for very specific tasks.

But what sets Atlas apart is the fact it can perform numerous jobs and, thanks to advances in AI and, in particular, Large Behavioral Models (something Google’s DeepMind is helping with), the humanoid will be able to be trained in a matter of days to perform complex actions.

“So far, we’ve focussed on the physical side of AI, so Atlas can dance, run and jump. But behavioral is the next frontier. We hope that in the future, customers will be able to swap the humanoid’s hands for specific tools, so it can be taught to weld, construct and much more,” Theerman adds.

At this point, it is worth noting that Hyundai’s humanoid endeavor isn’t the first of its kind, nor is it the only technology in existence. In fact, there’s a veritable arms race to launch useful robots.

Tesla’s Optimus is designed for general purpose tasks, but early demonstrations have revealed that it still has some way to go before being genuinely useful. Similarly, companies such as Figure AI, Agility Robotics and Apptronik are all making waves in the emerging industry.

In fact, Chinese heavy equipment manufacturer Zoomlion already has a team of humanoid robots busy at work in its network of plants, churning out hundreds of products a day.

But Boston Dynamic’s CEO still thinks his company has the edge, not least because it has the financial and manufacturing backing of the Hyundai Motor Group.

“We've already got a pathway that we're cutting with our existing products to commercialize. We've built our organization around supporting products in the field, integration, service, repair, logistics, so all of the components around that. Something that thankfully nobody else is doing yet,” he says.

Oh, the humanity

The question of replacing humans is neatly brushed off by those in the business of robotics, seeing as the technology has the potential to replace vast swathes of manual labour. Thankfully, Atlas, much like its Spot counterpart, is expensive right now and many plants find it cheaper and more convenient to use a human workforce.

But Boston Dynamics’ chief strategy officer feels that, while it could be a potential issue, he has found companies with a higher robotic adoption are more productive, therefore are growing faster, are more profitable, and are hiring more employees.

“Yes, there’s going to be shift of workers, but we think that at the moment, these robots will always require human monitoring. So we call this job 'robot wrangler' or 'robot operator'. And that job is growing quite fast, and it's fascinating,” says Theerman.

And what about your robot butler? Well, the Boston Dynamics CEO thinks that is some way off. In fact, he feels robots in the home is the wrong strategy, citing the fact that the consumer market is very “cost sensitive”. He also admits that safety is paramount and that the home is a “complex environment”.

“We think it's going to be 2028 or 2030 when we have robots deployed in factories and probably five years after that before they’re really affordable in the home,” Playter states.

Mark your diaries. The year 2035 could be when we finally witness the rise of the robots, or find out if it’s just another hype cycle that will gradually fade into the CES archives.

Stroll a parking lot in Las Vegas and you are bound to bump into a company on the brink of making a major autonomous driving breakthrough. Yet not many go on to survive the difficult early years and emerge out of the other side with a successful business.

Fortunately, this year’s CES 2026 was a backdrop for Hyundai and Motional to celebrate, as they dropped the silk sheet on the fruits of their partnership and announced that they plan to run a driverless service in Las Vegas later this year.

It hasn’t been an easy path though, with Motional (formerly a joint venture with automotive tech company Aptiv) pausing its operations in 2024 to take stock after six years of perfecting its autonomous recipe.

“We've given 130,000 rides to the public on the Lyft and Uber network, including delivering food via Uber Eats, and we've driven over two million autonomous miles with zero at fault incidents,” explains Laura Major, Motional CEO, at the company’s Las Vegas nerve centre.

“But a lot has changed in the AI space in recent years and we wanted to focus on accelerating our path to advanced AI technology,” she says.

Motional’s CEO says that during this downtime the company has been able to transition from more classic robotic solutions, which are time-consuming and expensive, to harnessing neural networks, large language models and vision-language-action models that help generalize new cities, environments and scenarios to cut costs and speed up deployment.

On top of this, Hyundai increased its involvement with the business in 2020, becoming the majority owner of Motional, pumping in additional funds and vowing to supply its purpose-built Ioniq 5 Robotaxi to the fleet for testing and deployment.

The stars aligned and now Motional feels that it is ready to take on the might of Waymo, Tesla and Zoox, which also has a handful of its autonomous pods running around the famous Las Vegas strip.

Purpose-built Johnny Cab

Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 robotaxi is assembled at its cutting-edge smart factory in Singapore, where robotic Spot dogs from Boston dynamics oversee quality control. The key difference to many competitors is that the vehicle, complete with massive sensor and Lidar suite, is made on a production line at scale.

Waymo is about to introduce the Ioniq 5 to its fleet in order to replace its aging Jaguar I-Pace cars, but Motional will be first to hit the streets with Hyundai’s award-winning electric vehicle.

Like the regular passenger cars, the fully autonomous Ioniq 5 comes with a steering wheel and space inside for four passengers to sit comfortably. The only real differences are the automatically opening and closing doors, the screens for rear passengers to chart their autonomous journeys and a number of buttons dotted around the cabin and on the exterior bodywork that allow customers to dial into a call center if help is needed.

My test drive started in a quiet business district near Harry Reid International Airport and, despite a safety operative in the driver’s seat, I was encouraged to commence the journey like a customer would. So I tapped on the screen to begin the journey and the doors silently closed.

The route towards the Las Vegas strip is relatively simple, but the Motional Ioniq 5 didn’t hang around. It merged in turn and kept up with the speed of traffic, even pulling a fairly aggressive move in order to get in the correct lane to turn right.

But the really impressive stuff took place on the Vegas strip, which is notoriously busy and jam-packed with unpredictable behaviors. The Ioniq 5 navigated this with ease and even pulled into a hotel valet parking lot just to show off its skills.

Previously, when Motional was operating early rides with Lyft, the safety driver would interrupt at this point and help steer the vehicle through the most complex parts – like a pilot manually lands a plane.

This time, the car was left to fend for itself, allowing cars to pull out and even stopping safely to let a bellhop and a pedestrian cross in front. Above all else, the braking was smooth and it didn’t make any worrying sudden movements.

The journey was almost faultless but I did experience one disengagement – where the safety operator had to take over proceedings. On the way back to Motional’s HQ, a vehicle essentially undertook the car on the left and then cut in front of it at some traffic lights.

Motional’s robotaxi then decided it wanted to pass the now stationary car on the right, but that would have forced us into a lane that could only legally turn right. Our safety driver had to take control for a second to ensure it didn’t.

For instances like this, Motional has a bustling operation room at its Vegas HQ that allow a teleoperator to make decisions and remotely send that to a car.

But Adam Griffin, Vice President of Operations and Head of Safety at Motional, claims they are seeing fewer and fewer circumstances where the team has to get involved.

AI cranks up the pace

It is exactly these sort of “challenging edge cases” that Laura Major claims AI has helped the company tackle in recent years.

Part of the work has been creating what the company calls an “Omni Tag” process that uses large language models and vision-language models to search the reams of video footage Motional’s fleet has captured.

“We can find those critical scenarios that we can train on and improve our performance in those specialized tasks,“ Major explains. The example she gives is a car coming across a rickshaw for the first time and not really knowing how to behave. Now, Motional engineers can easily pull up examples of rickshaw encounters and train the model accordingly.

“Omni tag allows us to go from what used to take large teams of data scientists to curate and find these valuable data sets. Now we can do that automatically. So it used to take us months to curate these data sets. Now we can do it in hours and minutes,” Major adds.

It is this unique mix of a classical robotics background and an advanced AI approach that Major thinks puts Motional in a great place for success in a growing Robotaxi landscape.

But the company doesn’t want to stop at unleashing a fleet of autonomous taxis with a yet-to-be-named ride-hailing partner, as Major admits that the end goal is to perfect this technology so it can be made available for passenger vehicles and public consumption.

Seeing as Hyundai doesn’t even have autonomous driving tech that can match Tesla’s Full Self-Driving or Ford’s BlueCruise Level 2 systems yet, the huge investment in Motional could soon pay off, as it could end up jumping straight to Level 4.

It’s no secret that in recent years, CES has turned into a bit of an automotive show, with car manufacturers, suppliers, and partners displaying the latest in infotainment, autonomous driving, and EV tech. At this year’s CES, the automotive focus clearly shifted towards physical AI and robotaxis. So let’s dive into the most interesting car tech I saw at CES 2026.

Qualcomm Snapdragon Ride Flex platform

Most vehicles on the roads today use separate computers for infotainment and ADAS (advanced driver assistance system). This is done for safety, since you don’t want your car suddenly veering into a ditch because your music player crashed. On the flip side, having two computers, often with chips from separate vendors, increases complexity and cost.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Ride Flex platform solves this problem by combining infotainment and ADAS into a single SoC without compromising safety. The guardrails between the two domains are handled with the same kind of mission-critical, real-time software used in aerospace. Another benefit of Qualcomm’s unified platform is power efficiency and flexibility.

Snapdragon Ride Flex is able to scale from basic, economy cars all the way up to expensive, luxury vehicles. Beyond combining infotainment and ADAS functionality into a single chip, it also provides support for GPS navigation and routing, AI voice assistants, 3D rendering for complex on-screen graphics, 5G connectivity, and even driver monitoring.

Basically, Snapdragon Ride Flex applies Qualcomm’s smartphone and mobile SoC expertise to modern SDVs (software defined vehicles). It supports ADAS in cars equipped with as little as one forward-facing camera, a single front radar unit, and a driver monitoring camera, to vehicles integrating multiple cameras, radar units, lidar sensors, and high-definition maps.

At CES 2026, Qualcomm was demoing the Snapdragon Ride Flex platform in a modified Lincoln Aviator, but the chip is used in vehicles recently launched in China, like the ARCFOX Alpha T5 and Dongfeng Nissan N6, and will soon be coming to US-market cars.

[Disclaimer: Qualcomm provided accommodations and meals for my trip to CES 2026, but did not offer any other compensation and did not have any editorial control over my content.]

BMW iX3 Alexa+ integration

If you have an Echo smart speaker at home, you’re probably familiar with Alexa+, Amazon’s LLM-powered voice assistant. The company wants to bring its generative AI tech to more devices, including cars.

At CES 2026, BMW announced that it’s partnering with Amazon to bring Alexa+ to its Neue Klasse EVs starting with the iX3 electric SUV later this year.

Alexa is already widely available in modern vehicles, but the iX3 is the first car to incorporate a customized version of Alexa+. This integration lets you have a natural conversation with your car by saying “Hey, BMW.” You can ask for a drugstore on the way to your destination or for food recommendations near you, and you can ask about the weather or current news.

You can even ask the voice assistant to play music, adjust the climate, or control your smart home devices. Alexa+ remembers context, so you can start a conversation on your Echo at home and continue where you left off in your BMW. That’s nice, but voice assistants in cars have mostly been frustrating so far, and people avoid using them – myself included.

I was able to experience BMW’s Alexa+ integration for myself at CES, and it’s definitely an improvement over previous in-vehicle voice assistants. You even get a cute little animated talking head in the middle of the iX3’s Panoramic Display when the AI responds. While the experience was mostly glitch-free, it was clearly still a work in progress.

The biggest issue I see with this integration is that you’re stuck with Alexa+. If you prefer using Gemini for your voice assistant – as I do – or ChatGPT, you’re out of luck. None of your chat history and AI context follows across devices, and that's a major limitation.

Waymo Ojay electric robotaxi

Autonomous driving and robotaxis were all over CES 2026. Amazon’s Zoox autonomous pod is already operating in Las Vegas, Lucid debuted a Gravity robotaxi in partnership with Nuro and Uber, and Tensor displayed its robocar in collaboration with Lyft. But the star of the show was definitely Waymo’s Ojay robotaxi, the van formerly known as Zeekr RT.

Now in its final form, the Ojay robotaxi looks almost identical to the Zeekr RT Waymo showcased at CES 2025, and is being tested in several of the company’s markets, including my neighborhood in San Francisco. This electric AV (autonomous vehicle) will complement and eventually replace Waymo’s existing fleet of Jaguar i-Pace autonomous EV.

The van, which is built on Zeekr’s SEA-M 800V architecture, packs a 76kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery and boasts a spacious pillar-less design. After being assembled by Zeekr in China, it’s outfitted with Waymo’s sensor suite here in the US. This sensor suite consists of 13 cameras, six radars, four lidars, and an array of external microphones.

If you’re counting, that’s less than half the number of cameras on Waymo’s current Jaguar i-Pace. Heaters, sprayers, and tiny wipers keep the sensor suite clean in inclement weather. And, unlike prototypes, the Ojai robotaxi still features pedals and a steering wheel. Waymo's other new robotaxi, based on Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 EV, was also on display at CES.

I use Waymo quite regularly, so I’m looking forward to riding in the new Ojay robotaxi when it finally enters service in San Francisco later this year. Keep an eye out for my first impressions.

Donut Lab solid-state battery

Solid-state batteries have been hyped as the Next Big Thing (™) for years now, but have never left the lab – until now, apparently. At CES 2026, Donut Lab, the Finnish company best known for its power-dense hubless in-wheel electric motors, showcased the “world’s first” solid-state battery used in a production EV, namely the Verge Motorcycles’ TS Pro ($30,000+).

Obviously, let’s take Donut Lab’s claim with a grain of salt. Solid-state batteries are the holy grail of battery tech – cells that are energy dense, lightweight, affordable, and charge fast, run cool, and don’t turn into a fiery mess when damaged or abused. Imagine getting 30 percent more range from an EV with a solid-state battery pack of identical size and weight.

I’m taking game-changing tech here. Here’s what we know about Donut Lab’s solid-state battery. A single 125Wh cell consists of a prismatic pouch the size of a large smartphone and delivers a whopping 400Wh/kg of energy density. Forty cells can be arranged into briefcase-like 5kWh modules that offer 350Wh/kg of energy density and weigh 14kg (30.8lbs).

The icing on the cake (ahem) is that Donut Lab promises a lifespan of 100,000 charge cycles for its solid-state battery, vs. 1,500 charge cycles for a modern lithium-ion cell. As for Verge Motorcycle’s TS Pro, it packs up to 33kWh of Donut Lab’s solid-state batteries, delivers 370mi of range, charges at 200kW, and reaches 62mph in 3.5sec. That’s some tasty stuff.

Ultimately, it remains to be seen if Donut Lab can mass-produce its solid-state batteries in quantities beyond those required by a boutique electric motorcycle manufacturer. Time will tell.

That’s (not) all, folks

So here you go. This is the car tech that stood out for me at CES 2026. But obviously, I’m just scratching the surface here. There were other interesting automotive goodies to sample at this year’s show, like Longbow Motors’ Speedster EV, iM Media Labs’ partnership with AT&T, Sony Honda Mobility's Afeela EV (yet again), and Strutt’s EV1 autonomous mobility scooter.

It is not easy to stay “bike-fit”, especially as the ravages of time take hold and the weather turns sour. I know, excuses, excuses, but unless you have the time or motivation to get out for a couple of hours each day (whatever the forecast) or have access to one of the best exercise bikes or turbo trainers, it’s very easy to be spat out of the back of the peloton, so to speak.

That’s exactly what has happened to me, and despite my best intentions, including jumping on the Wattbike Atom at my local gym, I’ve found my bike fitness has suffered over the years.

Not only does this erode confidence, it also means that my cycling-mad friends have to put up with me huffing and puffing my way around our local routes, often slowing their pace so I don’t end up riding solo.

The Ribble CGR E AL has apparently been engineered precisely for folk like me, with a discreet electric motor stashed in the rear hub to offer the gentlest of boosts whenever the climbs become too steep or the gravel terrain too tough to maintain and respectable constant speed.

“But that’s cheating!” often come the cries from the cycling diehard. Well yes, it is if you want to start entering professional competitions, but that’s not what this is designed for.

The CGR E AL exists to act like a high-end gravel bike most of the time, simply offering a helping hand when the need arises.

Best of the specs

A quick recap on Ribble Cycles: the British business has been making bikes for over 100 years, offering cheaper bikes but very competitive quality. That brings me on neatly to the Ribble CGR E AL — a machine that in its top specification packs Shimano’s reliable 105 mechanical groupset, Mavic rims, a lightweight aluminum frame and a Mahle X30 electric motor discreetly housed in the rear wheel.

It's not to be confused with the Ribble CGR AL e, as that is the older model that is no longer sold, despite packing an annoyingly familiar name.

Ribble sells worldwide, but not all models are available to all markets. In the UK, the CGR E AL costs £3,199 in its Shimano 105 layout (it is cheaper if you go for Tiagra or Sram Apex gearing). The company says it unfortunately can’t ship the product to the USA, despite listing a price of 'from $4,300'. It's the same story in Australia, where it has a sticker price of $6,310 but cannot be shipped to the region.

If you live in Europe, you’re largely covered. International users are missing out on one of the best subtly electric gravel bikes of recent years.

A platform to perform

Ribble’s machines come packaged and almost fully-built. All you need to do is get the handlebars in place and tightened up, add some pedals of your choosing and then tackled the carbon fibre seat post.

It doesn’t take long, but I have to admit, setting up the cockpit isn’t the easiest procedure. There are a number of tightly packed cables that have to run through the aero-enhanced handlebars and it takes a bit of fiddling. The same can be said for the seat post, as Ribble opts for an integrated seat wedge that’s a real pain to get into place without scratching anything.

Aside from this, the bike is a handsome thing to behold, with that 7005 hydroformed alloy frame bending aero aesthetics with a really purposeful stance. It is also paired with a contrasting carbon fork that really pops.

Look a little closer and there’s a discreet button on the top tube that activates the rear mode, another press of the same button cycles through the various assistance modes, while an illuminated LED strip gives a reliable indication of charge levels. The light also cycles through various hues depending on the riding mode.

Shimano’s reliable 105 mechanical 12-speed gearing takes care of cog swapping, which is razor sharp to cycle through the gears and easy enough to maintain. Finally, a set of Mavic Allroad wheels shod in 40mm Schwalbe G-One tires provide smooth rolling over a variety of surfaces.

A stealthy operator

As previously alluded to, it’s very difficult to tell that the CGR E AL packs any sort of electrical assistance at all. The rear hub motor is compact and hidden behind the rear cogs and disc brakes, while the tubes haven’t been oversized to cram in mammoth battery packs.

It’s also impressively lightweight, with Ribble claiming it tips the scales at around 10kg. Honestly, it feels even lighter than that and is really easy to shoulder should you have to traverse the odd fallen tree trunk or locked gate.

But the most impressive aspect is the Mahle X30 e-drive system, which delivers power in a way that it is barely noticeable — like a gentle helping hand as the gradients start to ramp up. There’s no surge of power as you turn the cranks, nor is there a telltale whining of the electric motor to give the game away.

During a few early rides, I cycled between activating the motor and switching it off entirely. The electrical assistance was so good, it almost made the trails I was tackling slightly too easy, even in its most gentle setting.

It was a similar story out on the road; where if it was nice and flat, I didn’t really have to rely on the system. But as soon as things turned hilly, I could stealthily switch it on and enjoy the mild boost up hills.

Those wanting to merely spin the cranks and not put in any effort should probably look elsewhere, as this isn’t that sort of electric bike. Instead, it rewards some effort and makes it much easier to spend hours in the saddle.

All day riding

Ribble says the discreet battery pack is good for 90km of riding, which is the equivalent of around 56 miles. That’s a massive day in the saddle for anyone, but also plenty enough when tackling a mix of on and off-road terrain.

Obviously, if you head straight for the hills and opt for maximum assistance, the battery is going to drain much faster, but I found it lasted for a couple of decent ride-outs a week. The Mahle smart charger is also neat, offering a charge indicator on the bottom, as well as portraying it on the top tube.

Ribble offers space for two bottle cages and will sell you a pannier rack kit that can hold up to 15kg of stuff for proper bike exploration. I own a set of soft bags and managed to attach these with ease when heading off for a bit of mild bike-packing.

Having the electrical assistance is a boon when you are fully laden with waterproof kit, a tarpaulin and a little grill for some impromptu winter barbecuing.

One thing to keep in mind is the potential lead times with Ribble product, as stock and availability can fluctuate drastically. I waited an absolute age for mine, although Ribble emailed and explained it was an issue “linked to media allocation rather than anything in the customer pipeline”.

“For anyone ordering through the website, bikes are currently being built and shipped within our usual turnaround times, depending on the model and spec,” a Ribble spokesperson said.

Still, it’s worth noting, as the downside of direct-to-consumer business is that there are only four showrooms in the UK to physically see the bike, test it out, try it on and then grab the salesperson’s details to berate when it doesn’t arrive on time.

Regardless, the bike was well worth the wait, not least because it is a good-looking, versatile gravel bike that can handle everything from the daily commute to all-day bike-packing adventures, but chiefly because it saved me from embarking on a six-week training plan just to get out cycling with my mates.

It is easy to be led by the various damning headlines that suggest demand for electric vehicles is waning to the point that big automotive players are completely rethinking their strategies.

Granted, the likes of Porsche and Ford have back-tracked on plans, shoehorning gasoline engines and hybrid set-ups into models that were destined to be pure electric, but this isn’t the case for everyone.

Kia, Hyundai, Renault, Peugeot and the Volkswagen Group continued to release new and exciting EVs throughout 2025, while Tesla updated its two best-selling vehicles in the Model 3 and Model Y this year.

What’s more, the Chinese brands that once operated on the fringes are now becoming ever-more mainstream, with the likes of BYD, MG, LeapMotor and more all grabbing large slices of the market in the UK, Europe and beyond.

It’s a slightly different story in the US, where a reversal on incentives and tax breaks has slowed EV progress, often forcing many of the aforementioned brands to rethink their electric strategy in North America to ensure they remain profitable.

Polestar, Volkswagen, Audi and Mercedes-Benz all paused or scrapped plans to launch models in the US, but that hasn’t prevented homegrown talent from prevailing.

Tesla and Rivian continue to reach new buyers, Hyundai and Kia remain popular and Nissan’s recently release Leaf is making waves for its range and affordability.

Having driven a huge number of electric vehicles in 2025, this is my selection of the best, hand-picked for their mix of practicality, affordability and technology. Because electric vehicles are still very much happening, despite what you read.

1. Tesla Model Y

The updated Model Y is by far the best car Tesla has ever produced, blending excellent practicality, impressive range, reliably fast public charging and a quieter and more refined ride than previous generations.

Granted, the exterior styling remains divisive, but the recent refresh has certainly sharpened the approach, modernizing the lines and adding full-width light bars at the front and rear to ensure it attracts attention when out on the road.

Having driven both the Premium and Performance editions, it’s safe to say that unless you really like rollercoaster-like acceleration, the latter is the model to plump for – particularly in Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive guise.

If you can get past the badge and all of its modern connotations, the latest Model Y is hands-down one of the most efficient and easiest to live with EVs on sale.

• Read more: I’ve driven the new Tesla Model Y Performance – and despite it being a great car, it isn't anywhere near as exciting as it once was

2. MG IM5

Tesla has a new rival pop up every few weeks these days and MG’s latest premium badge, dubbed Intelligent Mobility, makes no effort to disguise the fact that it has the Tesla Model 3 firmly in its sights.

Hailing from China’s humungous SAIC automotive group, the vehicle rides on an all-electric platform that’s shared with a number of premium saloons in its domestic market. Although in Europe, things have been tweaked and changed to appeal to fussier buyers.

Specs are impressive: up to 441 miles of range, 17 minutes for a 10-80% charge and 3.2 seconds for the 0-62mph dash in the 751hp Performance model… that’s Porsche Taycan territory for a fraction of the price.

From most angles, it’s handsome car too, with little bits of Aston Martin at the rear and plenty of Taycan at the front. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?

It also packs a plethora of advanced driver assistance and infotainment technology for not a great deal of money.

If you can look past the overly firm ride, the fact that everything is committed to a slightly annoying touchscreen and some terrible visibility out of the rear, it offers an impressive amount of performance, all-electric range and technology for less money than the Polestar 2, Mercedes-Benz CLA and, of course, the Tesla Model 3 it is actively pursuing in Europe.

3. Kia EV4

Kia’s line-up of pure electric vehicles is mightily impressive, spanning the upcoming (and tiny) EV2, through stylish saloons, crossovers and maxing out with the massive, seven-seat EV9 SUV at the very top of the range. There really is something for everyone.

The EV4 is one of its newest models and it is designed to tap into Europe’s love for a good old-fashioned hatchback, taking elements from its larger EV6 and smaller EV3, but packaging it up in something that isn’t yet another SUV or crossover.

Bold styling, a hugely comfortable ride and impressive range figures make for a tempting purchase, while Kia’s latest infotainment system is the sharpest and most technologically-advanced it has produced, with ChatGPT integration for natural voice interactions.

It’s got a big, practical trunk and, thanks to this not riding as high as some of its SUV siblings, it handles pretty well. Don’t expect Golf GTI levels of fun, but it’s an otherwise excellent all-rounder that's entertaining enough for most.

• Read more: I’ve driven the new electric Kia EV4 – and it finally makes hatchbacks exciting again for three key reasons

4. Citroen e-C5 Aircross

Sometimes, the best cars are the ones that handle the basics well without any fuss or fanfare. Those cars that prioritize comfort and practicality over flashy design elements and face-melting performance.

Citroen’s latest e-C5 Aircross, which is its first model to ride on the STLA Medium platform from parent company Stellantis, is exactly one of these cars. It offers either 320 or 421 miles of range, depending on the battery specified, perfectly acceptable performance and one of the most comfortable rides around.

The suspension with ‘Progressive Hydraulic Cushions’ makes it feel like it is floating on air, while the big five-seat SUV offers a huge amount of storage space and very comfortable quarters for anyone traveling onboard.

Inside, it adds a little French design know-how with some of the most comfortable front seats I have ever experienced. The infotainment technology isn't the greatest, but it all works and it's easy to use.

Prices start at £34,065 (around $45,400 / AU$68,600) for entry-level models, which is hugely competitive for an EV that's as practical and comfortable as this.

5. Renault 4 E-Tech

Despite driving this vehicle very early in 2025, it still remains one of the most memorable, thanks to its excellent mix of small car character, great handling dynamics and very tempting price tag.

Based on the equally excellent Renault 5 E-Tech, the R4 adds an extra dollop of practicality with slightly more room in the rear for passengers and more practical stowage space throughout. It still retains some of that R5 cheekiness in the way it drives and handles, though.

Above all else, it’s one of the best value EVs on sale in the UK and Europe, with prices starting at just £23,445 (around $31,250 / AU$47,200), yet it still manages to deliver head-swiveling looks on the outside, a premium-feeling interior and the latest in-car technology – including an Android Automotive-based infotainment system with Google Maps and other apps baked in.

• Read more: I've driven the retro-inspired Renault 4 E-Tech and it's just as fun as the R5... but with added practicality

6. Mercedes-Benz CLA

Mercedes sunk its engineering might into the latest CLA, not only imbuing it with a clever two-stage transmission (for efficiency, rather than performance), a low drag co-efficient and the latest 800V electrical architecture, but also debuting the marque’s cinema-quality Super Screen technology inside.

All of this results in a vehicle that can manage some 480 miles on a single charge, but can still dispatch the 0-62mph sprint in a respectable 4.9 seconds. Charging is lightning fast, too, while the interior boasts the sort of quality fit and finish you would expect from the German marque. The screen tech is on another level.

Base models start at £45,615 in the UK, which is around $61,000 / AU$94,000 roughly converted. This puts it in line with Tesla Model 3 and Model Y, yet it will go further on a single charge and brim its batteries much faster.

7. Smart #5

Smart no longer makes positively teeny city cars – well, not until the Smart #2 arrives – instead plying its trade in a variety of SUVs that blend elements from Mercedes-Benz and Chinese Goliath Geely.

I was not particularly convinced by the #1, as the Brabus model felt way too fast for its own good, the brakes were poor and it looked, well, a bit weird. The Smart #5 is altogether better, looking a bit like a rounded-off Mercedes G 580 and generally offering more space and practicality than its smaller sibling.

The interior technology is also a lot more impressive with a staggering 36 inches of screen real estate festooning the interior. There’s also a 25.6-inch augmented reality head-up display if you need more screen.

It’s a lovely place to while away the miles, with some models able to cover 366 of them on a single charge. The 0-80% top up time is under 18 minutes, too.

Of course, I drove the Brabus edition, which develops a frankly stupid 637bhp from its twin-motor set-up. That’s far too much for a family-friendly SUV and Smart simply doesn’t boast the performance engineering know-how to successfully translate that power to the road.

Opt for Pro+ or Premium trims and you get the larger batteries, the fast-charging 800V architecture and all of that interior for much less money and fewer hairier moments on wet roads.

For large families and lovers of an outdoor active lifestyle, very little comes close in terms of practicality and versatility than a van.

Full disclosure: I run a diesel-powered Volkswagen Transporter (apologies, Earth) as a daily, purely because it’s the best thing to fit kids, mountain bikes, surfboards and the odd broken down motorcycle onboard. You can keep your SUVs, they just can't compete on roominess.

Up until this point, the electric van market has been relatively slow to catch up with its passenger car counterpart, with the likes of Ford electrifying its popular Transit Custom and E-Tourneo, while Citroën also offers an ë-SpaceTourer in Europe.

But these feel distinctly van-like. As if the company merely shoehorned some battery packs and an electric motor inside whatever commercial vehicle they happened to have lying around.

Arguably, the VW ID Buzz, with its funky exterior looks and retro touches, was the first to truly appeal to the non-business buyer, but even that vehicle has its issues. The efficiency is poor, the asking price is astronomical and there isn’t actually that much room inside.

Kia thinks it can capitalize on this, which is why it has invested eye-watering sums of money into its Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) EV skateboard chassis, which will eventually underpin a whole host of commercial and lifestyle vehicles.

Small vans, large vans, vans with fridges and pizza ovens on the back, pick-up truck vans, vans that can transport people, and vans that are easily accessible for wheelchair users are all on the way very soon.

But for now, Europe has the PV5 Passenger and PV5 Cargo to get to grips with.

A working class hero

Let’s kick this off with the pricing, which we know for certain will start at £32,995 in the UK for the PV5 Passenger in the most affordable ‘Essential’ trim. There’s no word on whether it will go on sale in the US any time soon, but that figure is around $44,000 roughly converted, or AU$67,000.

This is almost half the price of its closest rival in the funky, retro-styled ID Buzz, yet it still offers 183-miles of range, only slightly down on the cheapest ID Buzz.

Step up to the larger 71.2kWh battery, which still only costs £35,995 (around $48,000/AU$73,000), and you’ll get 256-miles on the combined cycle. That's less than so many rival electric SUVs that offer a fraction of the interior roominess and range.

Power and performance is perfectly adequate for a massive family-mover like this, with the 160bhp developed by the single motor, which is good enough to accelerate from rest to 62mph in 10.6 seconds and on to a max speed of 84mph.

Despite its size, it drives fantastically well, remaining flat and composed through tight corners, offering beautifully light steering around town and sealing the cabin away from the outside world for a near-silent cruising experience.

The ace of space

As previously mentioned, Kia is going to release numerous versions of the PV5, as well as smaller and larger vans that will sit on the same platform.

Currently, both Passenger and Cargo are available, the former of which offers five flexible seats inside, while the latter is a proper two-seat commercial van that's designed to haul kit and equipment in its sparse rear.

Now, the world of commercial vehicles is a complex landscape, with fleet buyers choosing their chariots based on payloads, dimensions and financial information that I don’t have the spreadsheet knowhow to bother working out.

In short, I wanted to focus on the Passenger model because this is thing customers are most likely to buy over a seven-seat SUV or similar.

As a people-mover, it's absolutely fantastic, with a massive amount of room in the rear for three passengers to sit comfortably. Those back seats are also heated in the more lavish Plus models, with footrests and plenty of USB-C ports for keeping devices topped up.

The second row is also flexible, so it folds flat if you do need to use the cavernous rear cargo space for transporting surfboards, mountain bikes of just a mountain of family-related stuff. It’s not quite the same versatility as a crew van, where seats can be completely removed, but gets what? That’s coming.

More car-like than most

I’ve always harped on about the the Volkswagen Transporter to anyone who will listen, claiming it as being one of the most 'car-like' vans money can buy, in so much as it boasts the sort of handling characteristics and refinement that elevate it beyond being merely a big box on wheels.

The ID Buzz took that mantra and ran with it, but it also used VW’s latest and slightly rubbish infotainment system. Plus it felt big and heavy on the roads when I drove it. The Kia PV5, weirdly, doesn’t and it uses a bespoke Android Automotive infotainment system to boot.

This isn’t the same widescreen as the one found in the latest Kia EV3, EV4 and so on, but a 12.9-inch unit that’s mounted bang-slap in the middle of the dash. Kia has done this so commercial users can download and run bespoke apps that assist with lubricating the wheels of commerce.

It’s very simple and intuitive to operate, with the added bonus that owners get access to an Android-based app store of software to download on it. There's also a neat and customizable digital display behind the steering wheel that takes care of speed, range and other vital information.

Despite the presence of a few physical buttons dotted around the cabin, I’d happily take more, especially to adjust things like the heating and air-con, as well as turning off all of the nannying bongs and beeps from the safety systems.

The only other issue I had was with the driving position because, unlike most other commercial vehicles, the floor is placed relatively high to package the electrical gubbins that power the PV5.

This creates a neat stowage area underneath, but it also means you drive it a bit like you would a saloon, without that upright, outstretched position leg like you get with many traditional, internal combustion engine rivals.

It also means you sit with your hip practically level with the side windows that, while creating a beautifully airy interior for anyone riding up front, it does require that all occupants are dressed appropriately. It just feels a bit weird at first.

An impressive debut

I simply can’t fault the PV5 for its practicality, with the Passenger version offering more trunk space than the massive Kia EV9 with its rear seats folded.

Fold the rear seats flat in the PV5 and it does a good impression of a proper commercial vehicle, with the sort of cavernous cargo area that can swallow bicycles whole. To talk liters for a minute, you get 1,330 with all seats up and a massive 2,300 with second row folded.

As a comparison, the hugely spacious Tesla Model Y offers around 2,000-liters of space with its rear seats folded flat, but not the same practicality that's afforded with such a tall, square rear like the PV5. What's more, it's a big chunk of change more expensive, too.

Versatile, stylish, comfortable inside and offering the sort of range that most can live with, the PV5 brings back the halcyon days of MPVs and people carriers, but packages it all up in a platform that’s versatile enough to ensure it will be profitable for the company.

Sure, there’s not mammoth 300+ mile version just yet, and the 400V electrical architecture means charging speeds are throttled at 150kW, but Kia’s debut van is fantastically efficient, meaning you'll get the range the read-out predicts.

It’s the first electric van that I’ve tested that’s had me considering giving up diesel… something the VW ID Buzz couldn’t manage.

Tesla’s performance-oriented models once stunned the world with their abilities to shame some of the most competent sports cars on the market. Do you remember when a stock Model S Plaid set a Nurburgring lap record in 2021? It beat the Porsche Taycan by around seven seconds.

This was major news in the automotive world, seeing as what was essentially a tech company managed to beat a manufacturer with over 100 years of racing experience on one of the most challenging race tracks in the world.

Two years later, it shattered its own record with a special Track Package, setting a time of 7:25.231 that saw it once again become the world’s fastest production EV around the ‘Ring.

Even before it laid down the EV performance gauntlet to established automakers, owners of Plaid versions, which signified the most potent power outputs, had been rearranging the internal organs of friends in exchange for YouTube views. Tesla fully exploited the electric motor's performance potential.

Fast-forward a few years, and we now have Performance iterations of both the refreshed Model 3 and the Model Y – the latter of the two I have been driving for the past week.

The statistics speak for themselves: the 0-60mph sprint takes just 3.3 seconds, and this deal motor, all-wheel-drive midsized family SUV can gallop all the way to a limited top speed of 155mph.

It is undeniably quick, yet the revised battery and motor setup means it can still manage 360 miles on a single charge, with a 15-minute break at one of Tesla’s Superchargers adding up to 151 miles of range.

Seeing as it is based on the recently refreshed Model Y, it is also arguably the best-looking yet, complete with a rear spoiler, more aggressive body kit, and monster alloy wheels. In Ultra Red paint (as the test vehicle wore), it cut a head-turning figure on the road.

Despite this, it still left me a bit cold after a week in the hot seat.

The world has got faster

One of the biggest issues Tesla faces is that the once-pioneering company is now being left behind by both the traditional automakers, which have finally caught up, and by fresh competition from China and beyond.

Its technology, which is still excellent, isn’t as mind-blowing as it once seemed, and the all-out performance of the, erm, Performance model doesn’t quite punch the guts as it did.

Press all of the required buttons, select the right mode, stamp on the brake, bury the throttle, and suddenly you live in a Porsche Taycan Turbo S, Audi RS E-Tron GT, or the latest electric Porsche Cayenne, and it physically hurts. The acceleration is almost unpleasant.

The latest Tesla Model Y Performance delivers a similar experience, but having sampled all of those vehicles above, it no longer feels as savage.

Don’t get me wrong, it is still swift, but there are other electrified family SUVs that can be just as violent.

 What’s more, the engineering tweaks that have occurred underneath the skin, including the adaptive suspension, new bushings and dampers, modified steering, wider tires at the rear, and added aero, have only really helped refine the drive, rather than revolutionize it.

Sure, it picks its way through a winding country road with ease, but despite the addition of new ‘Drive Modes’, there’s still zero feel through the steering wheel, the brakes are powerful but not the most progressive (and very squeaky in the test car). At the same time, the seats prove supportive, but the driving position isn’t sporty in the slightest.

Turning stomachs

The truth is, the family doesn’t really want, need, or even enjoy this sort of level of performance on a daily basis.

My youngest son gets physically pumped up about this kind of thing, but after showing off the acceleration once or twice, which he says feels like a “roller coaster," he soon admitted that it made him feel carsick.

With a Model Y fully loaded with kit for a weekend walk and precious cargo onboard, why on earth would you want to attack the journey with the gusto of Lando Norris chasing an F1 title?

It doesn’t make much sense, which is a shame, because the interior of this Performance is lovely, if a little impractical.

Bright white perforated vegan leather and carbon-fiber decor covered the inside of the test model, which, while very comfortable and cool to look at, proved a magnet for stains.

There are heated seats throughout, adaptive LED cabin lighting, a massive panoramic roof, and, of course, a rear touchscreen that allows the kids to stream YouTube through the powerful rear speakers.

It’s an enticing package, and the body kit does wonders for the Model Y’s gawky styling, but during my tenure, an email dropped into my inbox that announced the fact that the Model Y Standard was dropping to £41,990 in the UK (it's still $39,99 in the US and AUD$58,900 in Australia). That’s £20,000 less than this Performance edition in my market.

You could buy another, brand new – albeit very small and basic – EV for that money and use it to pop to the shops or stick the dog in when you don’t want to get the Tesla dirty.

Plus, with the Premium Long Range Real-Wheel-Drive model delivering some 387 miles (27 more than the Performance edition) and costing £48,990 (£13,000 less), shaving two seconds from the 0-60mph time starts to feel a little silly, doesn't it?

If you want an EV that genuinely delivers thrills, test drive a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, or the new Kia EV6 GT, while the BMW iX2 xDrive30 is a more dynamically-accomplished SUV, even if it is a horrible mouthful to say.

In other words, the Standard and Premium Model Ys now represent great value for money and are still some of the easiest EVs to live with. Forget performance and go for practicality.

Royal Enfield unveiled its modernized Flying Flea late last year — an electrified two-wheeler that is loosely based on a lightweight British motorcycle that was parachuted out of aircraft during World War 2.

But rather than offer low-maintenance transport for advancing troops, the modern version is designed to appeal to a fresh audience of city-dwellers and extra-urban commuters who have perhaps not considered a motorcycle in the past.

“There are no gears, there is no noise and no need to fill up with gas where Flying Flea is concerned. It’s approachable,” explains Matt Cardenas, head of advanced concepts at Royal Enfield and a man very close to the Flying Flea project, tells us.

We caught up with him at Motoverse, an annual gathering of hardcore Royal Enfield fans in Goa, where the Flying Flea S6 made its second outing after an official unveiling at the EICMA motorcycle show in Italy a few weeks ago.

Designed to be a more focused, off-road companion to the Flying Flea C6 (the C standing for “classic”), the scrambler-inspired S6 packs more traditional front suspension, high-rise bars, knobbly tires, and a dedicated off-road mode for traction control, lean-angle sensors, and ABS braking.

Both bikes look set to bring something fresh and exciting to the world of electric two-wheelers next year, fusing next-gen EV propulsion and cutting-edge infotainment in a machine that doesn't cost supercar money.

While we are still in the dark about the exact price, battery specs, and range, we’ve found several reasons to get excited about the Flea…

1. You can charge it with a kettle lead

Rather than offer a removable battery solution like Maeving and Honda have on recent electric machines, Royal Enfield and Flying Flea opted for the convenience of a good old-fashioned kettle lead.

The idea is that this standard fitting is not only ubiquitous, but it can also be easily carried in a pocket or backpack when on the move. Domestic plug sockets are everywhere, so charging your Flying flea should be as easy as topping up a laptop.

“We spoke to thousands of potential customers during our research phase and found hardly any wanted to carry heavy battery packs upstairs to apartments. But 85 per cent of them had a plug socket where the bike would be parked,” Cardenas explained at this year’s Motoverse.

Rather than the convenience of a removable pack, the company wants to offer what it calls “City Plus” range, which is touted to be around 100 miles on a single charge. Something it says is impossible if you want to keep batteries light enough to be carried around.

When plugged in to a standard wall socket, Cardenas says owners can add around 1km of range for every minute the bike is tethered using Flying Flea's dedicated lead. Any other kettle leads with theoretical work, but it could slow charging rates.

2. It will be the first of its kind to run an Android OS

Over 200 engineers from India and overseas have worked on developing the Flying Flea to date, with a large number of those dedicated to the innovative operating system and user experience.

Cardenas says it will be the first dedicated motorcycle UX to run on the Android operating system, meaning owners will get a smartphone experience when interacting with the 3.5-inch true round TFT display.

Google Maps will be used for navigational purposes, a feature carried over from the most recent iteration of Royal Enfield’s popular Himalayan motorcycle, while Qualcomm’s system-on-chip for two-wheelers have been employed to offer bike-to-cloud connectivity.

BMW's CE 02 and CE 04 electric scooters edge close to this reality with plenty of smartphone compatibility, but Flying Flea's use of built-in navigation and the ability to control a device when on the move is heading into territory that is occupied by much more premium and expensive motorcycles.

3. Expect real-time updates

The aforementioned Qualcomm chip delivers a seamless communication between the bike and the rider, meaning that once a smartphone is tethered, it can be used as a key and a way to remotely check on the charge status and whereabouts of your pride and joy.

Cardenas tells us that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto simply don’t work well with a joystick style UI, which is what Flying Flea uses, so the company had to develop its own software from scratch.

Harnessing 4G, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, Flying Flea will offer a dedicated voice assistant for answering messages on the fly, as well as hunting for playlists that reside on the smartphone and navigating to places of interest.

It can also automatically update settings via over-the-air software packages, which could in turn help improve charging speeds, battery speeds and even the performance of the bike over time.

4. Smaller and larger models will sit on the platform

The Flying Flea C6 and F6 are just the beginning, as that number relates to where these two models sit in a wider line-up of electrified two-wheelers.

Although the debut offerings are very much designed to appeal to first time riders and those looking at the equivalent 125cc motorcycles, the C6 and S6 both use premium materials, shunning the temptation to drastically undercut the competition and produce it as cheaply as possible.

There’s a magnesium battery casing to keep the weight down, for example, as well as a frame-mounted electric motor that drives a belt on the road-going C6 or a chain on the S6, which is arguably more complex than the simple rear hub motors used by Maeving and other rivals.

That said, Royal Enfield and Flying Flea clearly plan to offer smaller and cheaper variants that could possibly make waves in the Chinese-dominated scooter market, as well as something to take on larger capacity combustion engine bikes.

5. Royal Enfield will continue to champion ICE bikes

Among the noise, sights and smells of Motoverse, where the combustion engine still very much rules the roost, Royal Enfield’s silent Flying Flea still attracted the crowds.

That said, Siddhartha Lal, chairman at Royal Enfield, admits that while electric motorcycles make a sense to a lot of people, they won't replace the company's best-sellers just yet.

"Royal Enfield could make an electric motorcycle, but it would have to be the right model," he explained.

Instead, Flying Flea has been designed to appeal to a different audience, one that is perhaps more tech-savvy and not so attached to the internal combustion engine.

We will find out full specification and pricing closer to the C6 launch date, which is Spring next year. Although we'll have to wait even longer for the S6 to arrive.

Kia’s electric line-up needs little introduction, seeing as the South Korean marque has made waves across the globe with its simply-named but vastly different range that encompasses SUVs, saloons and hatchbacks.

It all started with the Kia EV6, which sort of mashed saloons, hatchbacks and SUVs into one divisive but ultimately very popular package, and then increased to include one of the world’s first electric seven-seat SUVs in the EV9.

Fast forward a few years and Kia now offers everything from the small (ish) EV3 SUV/crossover, through to a mid-sized EV5 SUV and up to the aforementioned EV9.

There are gaps to be plugged, including the much-hyped EV2 city car and this… the EV4 hatchback.

Riding on the success of Tesla’s Model 3, Kia wanted to produce an EV that could compete in the UK and other Euro territories where the SUV hasn’t completely taken over... yet.

The humble hatchback has traditionally sold well in those countries, but Kia wanted to hedge its bets by offering the EV4 in both hatch and Fastback saloon versions. The latter sports an extended rump with one of the largest load capacities on earth, but it won’t win many beauty pageants.

The hatchback, on the other hand, is a low, lean five-door with sharp exterior lines that are both eye-catching and a little bit bonkers. It’s sure to turn heads and divide opinions on the road.

A winning formula

Kia’s E-GMP platform now underpins its entire range of electric vehicles, which all share similar powertrains and battery technology. The EV4 is closely related to the more upright, boxier EV3, so comes with either a 58.3kWh or 81.4kWh pack.

There’s no 800V electrical charging architecture like that found on the EV6 and EV9, but those are more expensive propositions, so customers have to make do with 400V here.

It’s not exactly a compromise, because the EV4 can be recharged 10-to-80% using a 150kW charger in as little as 29 minutes, which is typical for an EV costing from around £35,000 (around $46,000 / AU$71,000) for the base model.

Spend a little more and the larger battery pack charges in near enough the same time, but is capable of a mightily impressive 388 miles when fully brimmed. This has been made possible by a number of aerodynamic enhancements and keen tuning of the electric powertrain, air conditioning and power electronics for maximum efficiency.

You’ll want to test those maximum range numbers too, because the EV4 is a very comfortable and pleasant place to rack up the mileage. The front seats are cushioned in all of the right places, while the brand’s fabric headrests are some of the best in the business.

In short, this electric hatchback challenges run-of-the-mill SUVs thanks to its bold styling, smooth drive and excellent practicality – and that isn't an easy thing to do.

More fun than an SUV

It’s very difficult to make a proper electric hatchback these days, purely because the battery packs have to be stashed in the floor and this either raises the ride height or the driving position… or both.

In the EV4, it is the driving position that doesn’t quite nail the brief like an ICE Volkswagen Golf or Seat Leon does, as it still feels a tad too high. But that’s nit-picking, because the drive is still a hoot.

While electric SUVs tend to feel bloated and roll around through corners (unless you buy a Porsche), the EV4 raises a smile at the right corner. It’s no pocket rocket, with power pegged at just 201bhp (pretty tame in today’s world of unhinged electric cars), but it feels plenty swift enough on UK roads.

There is 283Nm of torque on tap, which means it gets off the line briskly, with the official 0-62mph sprint time ranging from 7.5 seconds to 7.9 seconds depending on the size of the battery pack.

But overall, the EV4 is set up to be fantastically comfortable over a variety of road surfaces, soaking up potholes and generally proving quiet and composed in most situations. Put simply, it’s really nice to live with.

Tech gets better

Kia’s infotainment offering has slowly and quietly been improving with the launch of each new EV-badged product and the 12.3in, 12.3in, and 5.3in combined displays in the EV4 are among the smartest from the brand so far.

Crisp and easy to use, these screens play nicely with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but also offer an array of apps that now come built-in. These include things like Netflix, Disney+, games and in-car karaoke, if that’s your vibe.

In fact, there is a dedicated ‘Theatre Mode’ that dims the interior lights and optimizes the central 12.3-inch display for bingeing TV or watching movies via one of those previously mentioned streaming services. When parked up, of course.

The EV4 is also the first car after the EV3 to feature Kia’s new voice assistant, which is powered by ChatGPT and aims to offer a more natural, conversational interaction with the car.

It can take care of key functionality and settings, but it also now helps navigate using Google Points of Interest to give advice on the cheapest places to park or the best things to see and do in the area, for example.

It is the first time this integration has been seen on a Kia and it works well, seeing as Google Points of Interest also feature key information, such as parking, opening hours and the prices of the places we tend to visit.

As you get with a Tesla, Kia also offers as digital key that can live on both Android and Apple smartphones, where the car automatically unlocks on approach. This also works on Apple Watch, for those who can’t even be bothered to drag a phone out of a pocket.

It’s a very accomplished package that’s all wrapped up in some conversation-starting styling and a fantastically comfortable ride.

It is priced keenly, too, beating the more expensive Model 3 in both refinement and uniqueness, while offering more excitement than something like a VW ID 3 or the cheaper MG 4.

Above all else, it’s nice to see an automotive company release something that isn’t a completely generic and utterly soulless electric SUV for once.

Automotive lighting tech. It’s not something most people think about, but just like touchscreens, infotainment systems, cameras, and ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), lighting tech has evolved by leaps and bounds over the last few years, and has become an integral part of the modern vehicle experience – especially in EVs, where power efficiency is critical to getting the most range out of the battery pack.

From exterior dot-matrix displays and pixel grilles, to matrix headlights, to OLED taillights, to customizable ambient lighting, the latest lighting tech is increasing safety while also enabling new ways for drivers to personalize their vehicles. Because, let’s face it, some of this new lighting tech is bedazzling EVs and combustion vehicles alike. So, what’s new in this domain? Why should you care? Let’s dive in and find out.

Pixel arrays

In case you haven’t noticed, retro-chic is fashionable these days, and pixelated design motifs are in right now. Just check out the headlights and taillights on Hyundai’s EVs – like the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 9 I drove this year – or the Glyph Matrix on the back of Nothing’s Phone 3. Then there’s the grille on Mercedes’ new GLC EV, which features an optional array of 942 white “pixels” and basically doubles as a pixelated dot-matrix display.

Unfortunately, Mercedes doesn’t let you customize the electric GLC’s pixel grille just yet. For now, it just displays welcome and goodbye animations when unlocking and locking the car. But we’ve also seen pixelated dot-matrix displays on the exterior of Chinese EVs – like in the strip between the headlights on the Zeekr Mix, at the base of the windshield on the Avatr 12, and in the four corners and on the rear doors of the HiPhi Z.

What’s the point of these exterior pixel arrays, you ask? Personalization is the most obvious use case. Drivers can display scrolling text, emojis, and even animated GIFs. Another more practical application for these dot-matrix pixelated displays is vehicle status (like charging progress) and communication with pedestrians or other road users through visual prompts that enhance trust and safety during low-speed maneuvers.

Matrix headlights

In the beginning, vehicles used fueled lamps for headlights. At the turn of the 20th century, the automotive industry switched to electricity and incandescent bulbs. Those were replaced with brighter halogen headlights in the 1960s, followed by even brighter and whiter HID (High-Intensity Discharge) xenon bulbs in the 1990s. Projector beams started replacing reflective housing and sealed headlights around the same time.

In the late 2000s, LED headlights, which are significantly more efficient and durable, started appearing on vehicles, alongside self-leveling and directional beams. This was followed by matrix and laser headlights in the 2010’s. Matrix headlights consist of an array of LEDs. A camera detects vehicles ahead and a computer selectively dims individual LEDs to avoid blinding those vehicles while keeping the rest of the road brightly lit.

Audi, BMW, and Mercedes were the first to implement matrix headlights, eventually adding welcome and goodbye animations when unlocking and locking the car. But Chinese manufacturers have taken this lighting tech to the next level by replacing the array of LEDs with the same DLP (Digital Light Processing) tech found in video projectors. These new matrix headlights can be used to project anything ahead of the vehicle.

For example, the Aito M9, a Chinese EV, packs 2.6-megapixel Huawei Xpixel DLP matrix headlights that can project a "light carpet" for navigation guidance, autonomous driving intentions, pedestrian warnings, and emergency signals while driving, or project a 100-inch "cinema screen" onto a flat surface for outdoor movie viewing while parked. Just find a wall, get some popcorn, and enjoy the instant drive-in theater experience.

OLED taillights

For many decades, taillights used incandescent bulbs. LEDs started appearing in taillights in the early 1990s and, being vastly more efficient and durable, became commonplace by the 2010s. Around the same time, Audi and BMW both introduced OLED taillights, which gave designers more freedom, allowed more packaging flexibility, and enabled more complex light patterns, from basic sequential turn signals to pixel arrays.

OLED taillights don’t use point light sources that require reflectors and diffusers behind them, as with LEDs or incandescent bulbs. The entire OLED surface emits uniform light instead, allowing for more advanced shapes, thinner packaging, and better electrical, thermal, and optical efficiency. This makes it easier to implement pixel arrays that go beyond traditional taillight functionality and display dynamic graphics like U-turn indicators.

Ambient lighting

While many manufacturers now offer customizable ambient lighting – even in more affordable vehicles – it all started with the Mercedes S-class and E-class in the early 2010’s. This year, I drove four electrified Mercedes SUVs – the EQB 300 EV, GLC 350e PHEV, EQS400 EV, and G580 electric G-Wagen – which clearly showcased the evolution of the company’s ambient lighting (and infotainment) tech over the past five years.

It’s interesting to see how the ambient lighting tech has evolved from multiple zones with 64 color choices each and basic animations (EQB and G-Wagen) to multiple zones with per-zone color gradients and animations (GLC and EQS). The new electric GLC goes one step further with a nine-segment PDLC (Polymer-Dispersed Liquid-Crystal) Sky Control panoramic glass roof that boasts an embedded layer of 162 illuminated stars.

Just like the other zones, this layer of illuminated stars features 64 color choices, matching the rest of the GLC EV’s ambient lighting. Rolls-Royce's Starlight Headliner takes this concept to the next level with a bespoke, handcrafted "night sky" effect using thousands of tiny fiber optic lights embedded in the headliner that can be customized to display unique shimmering constellations, colors, and even shooting star effects.

The Genesis GV70 EV features a backlit constellation in the door cards, which is colored to match the current drive mode, like the rest of the ambient lighting. Chinese EVs deliver even more customization through dynamic multi-color RGB ambient lighting that “breathes,” displays complex patterns, syncs to music, reacts to changes in climate and other settings, responds to voice commands, and displays navigation and ADAS cues.

The future

As AVs (autonomous vehicles) become more commonplace, expect to see more pixelated dot-matrix displays and DLP (projection) tech installed on vehicles to communicate with other road users and to improve safety and trust. Micro LEDs, which are currently used in high-end TVs, are coming to matrix headlights, and OLEDs are slowly but surely migrating into ambient lighting. Crucially for EVs, both are more power efficient.

Mercedes is adding a turquoise light to the taillights of its Drive Pilot-equipped vehicles to provide a clear and unmistakable visual cue that the car is in autonomous (Level 3 ADAS) mode and that it’s (presumably) okay for the driver to be watching YouTube right now. Waymo AVs feature a PoV (Persistence of Vision) display on their roof-mounted spinning lidar sensor that shows the rider’s initials to help them identify their vehicle.

The XPeng Robotaxi showcases the industry's first sun visor-mounted outward-facing display, which provides "communication and expression" capabilities, giving the vehicle a personality and offering visual prompts for pedestrians when parking or driving at low speeds. And surely, ambient lighting will continue to festoon the interior of EVs and combustion vehicles alike. In other words, the future of automotive lighting tech looks bright.

Volvo was among a select few electric vehicle makers to release a massive, premium electric seven-seat SUV last year when it introduced the EX90 to the world.

Not only did the huge crossover bring some serious Scandi styling and sophistication to the electrified people-moving market, it also promised the next generation of Volvo’s safety systems – all powered by myriad sensors, cameras and a hulking great Lidar perched atop the windscreen.

Unfortunately, said Lidar wasn’t active in time for launch, only there to harvest data in order to train Volvo’s software. This was down to the fact that the Swedish company simply didn’t have the compute power to realize its dream. The vehicle was also plagued with numerous software bugs and issues, which we won’t get into right now.

As a result, Volvo’s financials didn’t look great last year, with the company posting a $1 billion operating loss in the second quarter of 2025.

But it hopes the launch of the follow-up ES90, which takes the surprising shape of a fastback sedan (surprising given the market for these is pretty small), will help right the ship – not least because it is being launched with the impressive dual Nvidia Drive AGX Orin compute power required to make the majority of Volvo’s pioneering functions work properly.

Safety smarts

It feels a bit awkward kicking a first drive off with a chat about computing power and safety systems, but it feels important here, not least because the marque’s ‘Superset’ stack basically defines this EV.

Underneath the skin sits the previously mentioned Nvidia chips, which deliver a staggering 500 trillion operations per second – almost twice that of the EX90.

This allows the aesthetically intrusive lidar unit (which remains a bone of contention with any car designer) the multiple cameras and sensors to constantly collect and analyze data from the complex work around the vehicle.

As promised but not quite delivered with the EX90, this means the limousine-like ES90 can offer an advanced active safety suite that doesn't necessarily intervene on the daily drive. In fact, if you’re in control, not fatigued and paying attention, you probably won’t notice them at all.

“It’s probably something that’s quite difficult to test on real roads,” explains Volvo’s senior advisor for safety, Thomas Broberg. “Because these new safety systems only really activate when they need to. So basically, if you are driving badly,” he says.

A great example of this is the lane-keep assist function that, in some vehicles, kicks in as soon as you get even remotely close to the road marking or road furniture.

In the ES90, this system generally gives plenty of leeway and only kicks up a fuss when you start straying dangerously close. However, if the tech detects that the driver is getting a little tired or distracted, it starts to virtually 'narrow' those road markings so the systems gently intervene earlier.

The same goes for speed alerts and other notifications, as these remain relatively subdued until you start blasting through 30mph zones or regularly ignoring road signs. The more you do this, the more the car steps in to sort things out.

It’s exactly how active safety should be, it’s just a shame it takes unfathomable amounts of compute power and years of software development to get to a stage where every journey isn’t accompanied by a cacophony of bleeps, bongs and ghost interventions.

Silence is golden

Okay, so let’s get back to more traditional test drive far, such as the styling, performance and range.

As you can probably tell, the ES90 takes the form of a saloon or fastback (rare these days), only one that Volvo says has the “higher ground clearance associated with an SUV”.

This is more likely down to the fact that the all-wheel-drive, twin-motor variants come sporting absolutely gargantuan 106kWh battery packs, which will naturally raise the ride height somewhat, seeing as they are stashed underneath the floor in Volvo’s SPA2 architecture.

The resulting design is elegant, if a little unconventional, and very roomy inside, with copious amounts of space for both front passengers and those lounging in the rear. There’s plenty of electronic adjustability in the sumptuous faux leather seats and those in the back can stretch out their legs with ease.

Cynics will point out that this is very much a car for the Chinese market, seeing as it's manufactured in Chengdu, but Magdalena Molin, business program manager for ES90, says that a surprising amount of Chinese customers like to drive themselves or their families, so this isn’t merely a limousine for ferrying wealthy business folk around.

No matter if it does, because it rides beautifully, almost gliding over the road surface and the interior is completely sealed from the outside world. It is beyond peaceful in the cabin, but occupants can also enjoy a phenomenal 25-speaker sound system from Bowers & Wilkins that comes complete with a new Abbey Road Studios Mode.

When activated, occupants can completely change the sonic attributes of the track they are listening to, making even the poppiest tracks sound like they have been recorded in London’s famously analogue recording studios.

Fast charger

Unlike the larger EX90, Volvo’s latest model boasts an 800V electrical architecture, which means it can charge at speeds of up to 350kW, drastically reducing the amount of time required to plug in.

That said, both the 443bhp ES90 Twin Motor and the 671bhp Twin Motor Performance variants feature the previously mentioned 102kWh battery packs that offer around 435 miles of range on a single charge, but will naturally take longer to brim, given the size.

The model I tested – a rear-drive, 329bhp Plus Single Motor Extended Range variant – delivers a claimed 401 miles and plenty enough power to get the car up to motorway speeds with ease. In fact, the 680hp twin motor option just seems a bit daft.

This isn’t a 'dynamic' car by any stretch of the imagination, as the gargantuan 5m long saloon doesn’t feature rear-wheel steering and felt particularly large when threading it through some of the narrow streets of our French Riviera test route.

Sure, the additional horsepower of the dual motor option assists with some straight-line overtaking, but it’s not essential to enjoying this relaxed and comfortable cruiser.

The interior feels perfectly premium and Volvo’s top spec Android Automotive-based infotainment system sits pride of place in the centre of the dash. It’s down to personal taste, but I think at this premium level it could do with better integration with the rest of the dashboard, as it feels a little bolted on.

And, quite predictably, I am going to bemoan the fact that almost everything is committed to touchscreen, including adjusting the wing mirrors – something you will want to do when reversing this imposing machine and its very easily scuffed 22-inch alloy wheels.

Visibility out of the thin sliver of rear glass is also particularly poor, meaning the driver has to rely heavily on reversing cameras and sensors when parking, so it’s a good job those work particularly well.

A tough sell

While this sort of vehicle traditionally sells well in China, it struggles in most other markets and Volvo has already gone on record to say that the ES90 won’t go on sale in North America any time soon, due to the volatile nature of tariffs and incentives.

In the UK, prices start at £69,760 (around $93,300 / AU$144,00) for the 'entry-level' Single Motor Extended Range model, rising to £79,160 (around $106,000 / AU$163,500) for the Ultra trim level that adds things like front massage seats, the aforementioned Bowers & Wilkins sound system and plush air suspension.

Prices then rise all the way to £87,960 (around $118,000 / AU$181,500) for the range-topping Ultra Twin Motor Performance models, which puts it in the same territory as things like the Porsche Taycan, which is not as lounge-like inside but is certainly the much better EV to drive.

Then there are things like the excellent BMW i5 and Audi A6 e-tron, as well as the rangey Lucid Air if you are based in North America.

What’s more, Volvo’s sibling brand Polestar also offers the Polestar 4 for a lot less and an upcoming Polestar 5, which is arguably the better looking machine – albeit with less space in the rear.

As brilliant, refined and comfortable as the Volvo ES90 is, it doesn’t feel like it’s going to set any sales charts on fire.

It’s just too expensive, too much of a niche product and, when the USP is a very clever but intangible safety system, it's too difficult to explain the benefits of the impressive compute power that underpins it.

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Toyota announced this week that it had signed a joint agreement with fellow Japanese company Sumitomo Metal Mining with a view to mass produce the cathode materials required for all-solid-state batteries (SSBs).

Unlike the current battery technology powering most EVs, which uses a liquid as the electrolyte, solid state technology replaces this liquid with a solid material, offering the potential for smaller size, higher output, faster charging speeds and a longer life. The technology's potential is undoubtedly exciting, but will Toyota really be first?

"Solid-state batteries have been a clear target for battery technology developers for decades, with many developers claiming this approach represents the holy grail," explains Brian Barnet, CTO at fast-charging and battery technology company Nyobolt.

"It’s clear that the latest generation of efforts based on a small number of ceramic material families has made a lot of progress. We are now seeing the first demonstrations of batteries apparently based on these materials," he adds.

However, Toyota isn't the only globally-recognized company that is claiming it will have this revolutionary battery technology in production before the end of the decade. Here's how the solid-state battery story could play out, according to experts...

The claim: Toyota will be the first to sell solid-state battery electric vehicles

The automotive giant, which has been relatively slow to all-electric propulsion and only currently offers the Bz4X and variants of its Proace van outside of Japan, claims that it will be first to market with a solid-state battery electric vehicle, with plans to introduce production models in 2027 or 2028.

According to Toyota, it has been conducting joint research on cathode materials for all-solid-state batteries with the Sumitomo Metal Mining Company since 2021, but the pair have since made breakthroughs in cathode materials thanks to Sumitomo Metal Mining's proprietary powder synthesis technology.

This "highly durable" cathode material can be mass produced, although Toyota has said the two companies will continue to improve the performance, quality and safety of cathode materials, as well as looking at ways to reduce the cost of production.

This, they say, will lead to the world's first practical use of all-solid-state batteries in BEVs soon.

The reality: several automotive brands are chasing the same claim

China has been at the forefront of electric vehicle technology for well over a decade and its two largest battery producers, CATL and BYD, are understandably working on solid-state solutions.

According to a recent report by China Central Television (via Electrek), various universities and research institutes in the country have made significant progress in recent months that it says will help unlock all-solid-state batteries that can deliver in excess of 600 miles on a single charge.

Said researchers have reportedly found a number of solutions to the known electrolyte issues that are holding the technology back.

While a solid cathode is important, SSBs also rely on a solid electrolyte. As a result, Toyota has partnered with Japanese oil giant Idemitsu Kosan to refine a lithium-sulfide solid electrolyte, which it hopes will help speed up the introduction of its next-gen electric vehicles.

In the meantime, fellow Chinese company SAIC MG launched the first mass-produced vehicle to market with a semi-solid-state battery in its latest MG 4 model.

While it doesn’t offer the same solid electrolyte material, it uses a halfway-house gel technology that brings some of the same benefits, yet can be produced much cheaper and in greater number than current SSB alternatives.

Mercedes-Benz is also forging ahead with its own technology, which has been proven in its prototype EQS model that has already racked up a staggering 750 miles on a single charge.

BMW’s solid-state i7-based prototype revealed one of the most impressive energy densities so far when it hit public roads earlier this year, boasting 390 Wh/kg —outgunning the 360 Wh/kg achieved by Nio’s current semi-solid-state technology.

Seeing as many of the vehicles mentioned are still in development, it is very difficult to know who will be first to truly mass produce an all-solid-state battery pack and make it a financially viable business case.

"The technology is progressing, but scaling from pilot lines to even thousands of packs per year remains the bottleneck," says Dr. Kieran O'Regan, Chief Growth Officer at About:Energy.

"Companies like QuantumScape, backed by Volkswagen, have shown promising prototypes, but the leap from cells built in the lab to automotive-grade packs at millions of units per year is proving slower and more expensive than initially forecast," he adds.

So, while it is plausible that Toyota could be the first to introduce a mass-produced electric vehicle with a solid-state battery in 2027, manufacturing challenges could yet slow down that process – it certainly isn’t the only one working to those timescales.

Mercedes-Benz, BYD and CATL have also suggested 2027 be marked in automotive calendars, while Honda, Volkswagen and the mighty Stellantis Group have all gone on record to say that they are not far behind.

Still, whether Toyota is first or not, there's plenty of evidence to suggest that the next 2-3 years are shaping up to be an exciting, pivotal period for this supposed "holy grail" battery technology – and for anyone who is frustrated by the range and charging speeds of today's lithium-ion EVs.

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• Google Maps isn’t great at offering turn-by-turn directions
• But a TikTok user has discovered a simple way of seeing upcoming turns
• I’ll be using this feature from now on

Modern technology is designed to be as simple as possible, meaning much of it no longer comes with detailed instructions. It is up to the user to discover all of the features and how to use them.

I’ve been navigating with Google Maps via Apple CarPlay for years and hadn’t realized that there's a feature to quickly and easily see upcoming directions.

A TikTok user recently discovered that if you swipe left on the green direction box in the top right or left of the screen (depending on the positioning of your steering wheel), Google Maps will reveal all of the upcoming steps on your journey and jump ahead to each point on the map.

Users can then click on the re-center button to have the map jump back to the current location. The video below shows it in action.

This might sound ridiculously simple and I feel a little stupid for not knowing this was possible, but I would also bet good money that there are a number of fellow users out there having the same realization.

For those journeys with lots of complex instructions, this feature could come in handy, as it allows the driver to plan one or two steps ahead, so they can preempt the correct lane on a highway or navigate complex roundabouts and other traffic systems with ease.

Google Maps currently does a pretty good job of previewing the next navigational instruction, but often it is worth knowing the next few steps, which is difficult unless you like to have your music, radio or podcast interrupted by spoken prompts every few seconds.

The good news is that the same trick works on Android Auto too, so everyone who uses Google Maps in their car will be able to take advantage.

Simple but effective

You learn something new everyday and after trying the little hack in my own vehicle, I found it great for previewing upcoming turns without having to pinch and zoom across the map, which is hugely distracting.

A couple of swipes in the green upcoming turn box saw the route jump on to the next few phases, which I found great for working out the upcoming exits on longer motorway journeys.

Remembering exit 12 and exit 24, for example, reduces the need to constantly look at the infotainment screen – I could keep an eye on the road and look at signs. Remember those?

Am I missing any other key Google Maps functionality? If so, you can make me feel stupid and old in the comments section below.

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Porsche is expected to start selling its long-awaited electric Cayenne SUV early next year, adding to its existing line-up of pure electric Taycan and Macan models with an EV version of one of the German marque’s most successful cars.

Ahead of a full production model arriving next year, Porsche invited us to its facility in Leipzig, Germany, to get underneath the skin of the latest electric model and convince us that the company is still continuing to push electrification, despite its recent decision to offer internal combustion engine cars well into the 2030s.

The Cayenne’s headline figures are mightily impressive: the development of its 800V electrical architecture now enables 400kW charging speeds, revised battery technology has improved the range, pushing almost 400 miles on a single charge, and the most potent models will develop in excess of 1,000bhp and 1,500Nm of torque.

Unsurprisingly, those working close to the project say it will be the most powerful production Porsche to date, with a 0-62mph sprint time of less than three seconds. I played guinea pig to the latest generation of launch control and it was so ferocious, I’d happily never do it again.

In addition to pure performance theater, the German marque is introducing an all-new interior, complete with the largest array of digital displays seen in any Porsche, as well as the world’s first example of 11kW wireless induction charging for EV top-ups without the need for cables.

It looks set to be a technological tour de force, but will it be enough to convince the combustion engine diehards to make the switch in large enough numbers to ensure it’s financially viable? Porsche certainly hopes so.

On the big screen

It isn’t exactly a novel approach these days, but the upcoming Cayenne EV will introduce the largest array of touchscreens and digital displays ever seen from the brand. In fact, there’s 50% more screen than the outgoing Cayenne.

The novel 'Flow Display' consists of a 14.25-inch driver-focussed OLED that blends into a curved central screen, internally dubbed the “stage”. This single piece of glass is digitally split in two, allowing for two distinct spaces.

The idea is that important functionality is mapped to the lower portion of the screen, allowing for Porsche’s mapping or even Apple CarPlay to continually reside in the upper portion.

Cleverly, this allows users to simultaneously use Apple CarPlay and keep on top of key car functionality through a set of pinned and customizable widgets, such as air conditioning or lighting, without having to leave the CarPlay or Android Auto environment.

It’s a neat solution that doesn’t mean handing over full control to Apple CarPlay Ultra – although Porsche board member and IT boss Sajjad Khan didn’t completely rule it out when I quizzed him on the topic at the IAA Mobility Show earlier this year.

Finally, Porsche has also increased its passenger display so it now measures 14.9 inches and encompasses more of the overall dash real estate, taking the total to a whopping 87-inches.

It doesn't feel hugely Porsche and steers away from the company's skills in beautifully crisp analogue design, but early demonstrations revealed that information and graphics from the main 'stage' screen beautifully bleed into the passenger display, making the entire array feel like a singular entity.

Somehow, it feels less in-yer-face than the latest Mercedes-Benz Superscreen.

The company didn’t go into detail about the compute power behind it all, but Khan explained to me that the company is continually pushing to have more edge computing power (beefing up the chips on the vehicle), avoiding the need to send requests out to the cloud and generally speeding up infotainment decision making.

“Today, we live in a world where everything is Cloud-fed. But using SLMs, we can now predict the availability of charging stations that drivers will pass in, say, 20 minutes time within more than 95% accuracy, reducing the need to constantly fetch often unreliable live data” he explained.

Porsche’s powerhouse

The Cayenne has long been the model to do it all: ferry the family around in comfort, offer driving thrills, tow a boat and look good while doing it. The EV version has to do all of this and more if it is to convince buyers.

The power and performance figures mentioned earlier prove that Porsche isn’t messing around, but translating spiky electric propulsion into a genuinely enjoyable driving experience is another thing.

The company says this will be the first of its electric SUVs to use the marque’s active suspension management system, which uses electronically-controlled dampers that continually make adjustments.

As with the Taycan and the most recent Panamera, which debuted the new system, Porsche engineers demonstrated total control over each corner of the Cayenne. So much so that a driver could navigate Porsche’s test track in virtual reality while behind the wheel and feel every bump, camber and corner.

This feature certainly won't make production, but the system controls almost 2.5-tonnes of SUV with incredible accuracy, meaning it can lap real race circuits, drift around corners and generally act the hooligan when required. It can also tackle an off-road course and make motorway journeys more comfortable.

Porsche claims the model can also tow 3.5-tonnes, despite the massive bandwidth of capabilities, while delivering bigger distances between charge stops. The regenerative braking system has been boosted so it can feed up to 600kW back into the system.

Up to 400kW charging speeds from the fastest public outlets means a 10-80% charge takes less than 16 minutes thanks to improved cooling of the battery packs.

With the cooling equivalent of 100 domestic refrigerators, the system can get a little noisy when chugging electrons at full tilt, so Porsche has introduced a stealth charging mode that cuts noisy fan use to a minimum if fast charging in a public area at night, for example.

Tech that charges ahead

Although much of Porsche’s battery and infotainment technology was debuted on the most recent Macan EV, the upcoming Cayenne feels like it is building on this platform and turning things up to eleven.

The AI voice assistant is slicker, faster to respond and more knowledgable, while it is now possible to connect Bluetooth peripherals and game from either the central or passenger display when parked.

Porsche is clearly making a statement about its technological capabilities and this is further rammed home with its 11kW wireless inductive charging pad that it will sell as an optional extra.

This is tipped to cost around £7,000 (around $9,500 / AU$14,200), which will cover the charging pad itself and the receiver that is fitted to the car.

I was allowed to test out the system, which sees a bespoke screen in the park assist functionality guide the driver into position. The wireless charging pad is registered to the vehicle, which will automatically recognize it when approaching.

From here, guiding lines appear as a digital overlay on the video feed from the front-facing cameras, making it easy to line up. Then a small green ball appears and it is a case of getting that ball into a digital “zone" over the pad to commence charging.

It sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is and, after trying it out a few times, it’s merely a case of creeping forward until everything is lined up on the display.

Charging commences automatically at speeds of up to 11kW, which is a par with most domestic wall boxes. The charging pad is also fitted with sensors so it will automatically detect if anything or anyone has climbed on top of it during a charging session and will shut off for safety reasons.

Although uptake of this wireless charging pad will likely be limited to early adopters, it’s a neat addition to this already slick package. The upcoming electrified Cayenne will represent the very pinnacle of Porsche’s EV knowhow for now.

It comes at an important time, as the company recently announced that is rethinking its EV strategy, ditching plans to offer an ultra-luxury SUV that would sit above the Cayenne exclusively as an EV. It’s now reported to feature an internal combustion engine instead.

The company says it is in response to the “significantly slower growth of demand for exclusive battery-electric vehicles”. All hope is pinned on Cayenne EV to turn those fortunes around.

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• Peugeot is due to unveil a preview of the upcoming 208, dubbed Polygon
• The model is reported to debut the brand’s Hypersquare steering wheel
• Steer-by-wire tech means the wheel can be square

Peugeot is tipped to unveil a new concept car in November that will preview the third generation 208 – the marque’s best-selling hatchback.

According to Autocar, the Polygon concept, as it is known, will debut the marque’s futuristic Hypersquare steering wheel, which is also slated to feature in any production model that the concept will spawn.

Thanks to steer-by-wire technology, which does away with a physical connection between the steering column and the front wheels, the French marque can essentially introduce a yoke-style wheel akin to those first seen on Tesla Model S and Model X.

The French marque says the Hypersquare steering wheel will form part of “the next step in the saga of i-Cockpit”, which is the name given to Peugeot’s wraparound infotainment array.

Peugeot CEO Alain Favey told Autocar that the Polygon concept car will feature a 21-inch 'floating' display, and that the smaller wheel would give future Peugeots a unique driving feel.

Not much is known about the Hypersquare wheel, only that Peugeot claims that it will be operated by “new gestures” and that it will be “reminiscent to some of a video game controller”.

An article released by the company in June 2024, shortly after the unique steering wheel made its debut on the Inception concept of 2023, says that the wheel will be fitted to a production vehicle as early as 2026, which ties in nicely with November’s big announcement.

Analysis: an innovation too far?

Peugeot’s Polygon concept is rumored to preview a sporty hot hatch that will be the first to use the Stellantis STLA Small Platform, which is highly likely to be offered in both fully electric and hybrid options when it eventually goes on sale.

Keen to position itself as a technology leader in the Stellantis portfolio of brands, Peugeot’s long-standing but forward-thinking i-Cockpit looks fantastic but is sometimes not the most intuitive to use.

Having spent time with the e-5008, which sees twin screens in front of the driver and haptic touch surfaces to control much of the infotainment, I can attest to how fiddly operating some of these functions can be.

What’s more, Peugeot is looking to introduce its Hypersquare steering wheel at a time when there has been a general backlash against wilder automotive innovations, particularly those that only serve to distract the driver.

Tesla’s yoke, for example, was retired in base models of the S and X because many owners hated the way it felt, with some even stating that it was dangerous to use.

Peugeot's execution could be better, but it is also threatening gesture controls and intuitive new ways of interacting with the square wheel. More often than not, these can cause more problems than they solve.

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The tech landscape feels as if it is struggling with innovation at the moment.

We have reached peak screen, there is a gadget for every part of our lives and as a result, Mark Zuckerberg has been on-stage trying to convince us all that a pair of thick-rimmed glasses that beam a live stream of information directly into our already bloodshot eyeballs is a worthy investment.

It’s a similar state of affairs in the automotive industry, which when it isn’t flip-flopping over the decision to go electric, it is pursuing whatever Silicone Valley fad is currently flavor of the month.

Sure, EVs are more powerful than ever, the electric range is gradually improving and we can now make a Zoom call while waiting to brim batteries, but the entire industry is awash with 'innovations' that very few customers actually asked for.

Okay, so I’m not a complete Luddite and do enjoy poking around the latest piece of automotive gadgetry (it’s sort of my job), but there have been a number of recent innovations that truly deserve to disappear – these are top of my list.

The 6 most annoying EV and automotive innovations

1. Cameras for wing mirrors

"It reduces the drag co-efficient and helps increase EV range!" came the cries from engineers when Audi first took the wraps off its 2018 e-tron SUV.

The feature these boffins were referring to was the German marque’s virtual mirrors, which essentially tossed the cheap and reliable wing mirror into the trash in favor of a complicated and expensive concoction of cameras, wires and displays.

As a result, the trend of sticking a pair of glorified GoPros on stalks and mounting them to the front doors has been replicated by numerous brands, all keen on showcasing their technological prowess.

In reality, the video screens that display the live feed from said cameras are almost always in the most awkward, unnatural position inside the cabin, it’s impossible to judge distances properly and in low light or poor weather conditions, the image quality drops.

A wing mirror, which can be easily heated, adjusted and cleaned, is a solution that has stood the test of time because it works. Any aerodynamic savings made from ditching them is almost certainly lost in the additional weight penalties that bloated EVs suffer from anyway.

The same goes for replacing rear-view mirrors with cameras. We are looking at you, Polestar.

2. Virtual assistants

Often they take the form of a robotic voice that is summoned with a command or press of a button. Sometimes they pop up as an animated logo and occasionally they manifest as a digital fox that aimlessly kicks a football around in the corner of a screen. Nearly always, they suck.

Virtual assistants or voice assistants or 'Reno', if you own a Renault, are designed to reduce driver distraction by taking care of key car functionality with a series of simple vocal commands.

Many of them are getting smarter thanks to AI and LLMs, but nearly all remain more effort than simply pressing an easy-to-locate button.

Shouting “Hey Renault, make it cooler in here” takes longer than turning a dial, while asking XPeng’s little robot Xiao P to do anything is largely pointless… it mostly refuses.

Reduce volume: dial (on steering wheel, preferably). Answer call: button (preferably not haptic). Heated seats: ditto… you get the picture, engineers.

Granted, things are moving on at a pace and the introduction of AI that understands natural, conversational language certainly makes navigating to destinations and performing more complex infotainment tasks easier. But these early, often anamorphic examples are more hassle than they are worth.

3. Convoluted relaxation programs

This can most certainly be chalked up as a 'first-world problem', but many luxury automakers are turning towards ever-more extravagant relaxation programs as a unique selling point.

Of course, a nice massaging seat with heating and cooling functionality is never going to go out of style, but pairing it with an ambient light show and the soundtrack of trickling waterfalls and panpipes is just silly.

In addition to this, many of these individual vibes often come with cringe-worthy names, like Summertime Serenity, Forest Glade or Vivid Passion. Some cars even automatically activate a program if it senses the driver is slouching or decides you are in a bad mood.

While this sort of automotive theatre likely impresses a few passengers the first time they are used, I’d bet good money they very quickly lose their appeal.

4. Front-passenger displays

Shout out to all of the automotive interior designers, many of whom have remained highly professional when faced with the question: “how much interior design is actually left now the entire cockpit of a car is covered in screens?”

Their commitment to the cause is further tested when they are faced with the entry-level model, which sees the fancy interactive display replaced by a cheap piece of black plastic.

This point is perfectly highlighted by the introduction of front passenger infotainment, which has been spearheaded by Audi, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz – all of which are convinced that VIP now means more LCD.

When quizzed on this subject, a Porsche spokesperson told me that a high percentage of the company’s customers specify its front passenger display, but couldn’t give me a steer on the actual usage figures.

In reality, most front passengers want to engage in conversation or deal with bickering kids in the back seat. When those two pastimes are exhausted, they might listen to the radio or turn to their smartphone, which takes care of all of their social media, life admin and entertainment needs.

Watching Mr Beast on YouTube or playing a round of Crossy Roads on a small display that’s just slightly out of reach probably didn’t cross their mind.

5. Active Lane Keep Assist

Before I receive hate mail from the NHTSA or EuroNCAP, I’d like to admit that I understand importance of active safety systems and wholeheartedly agree that some of them have probably helped mitigate accidents.

But come on, Active Lane Keep Assist has to be up there with one of the most annoying, right after driver distraction detection that shouts at you when all you are trying to do is interact with the ridiculously complex infotainment system.

The issue here is that the quality of Lane Keep Assist varies wildly between brands, with some systems yanking on the steering wheel at the mere whiff of a central reservation or curb.

On top of this, many roads in the UK and Europe simply aren’t wide enough (or even marked correctly) to allow these systems to perform properly. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve had steering intervention when navigating a twisting country road or trying to avoid gargantuan pothole.

What’s even more irritating is the extent some manufacturers go to in order to dissuade drivers from turning it off.

6. Capacitive or haptic buttons

Offering buttons that seemingly blend in with a surface might look futuristic (and potentially save the manufacturer some cash) but they are among the fastest way to boil a driver’s blood.

Accidentally brushing the steering wheel is sometimes enough to change a radio station and, in many cases, the functions on the touch-sensitive surface change, leaving the driver to take their eyes off the road and rummage around the dash for what used to be a simple one-button solution.

Smartphones have a lot to answer for, as many automotive manufacturers have aimed to replicate the experience in a vehicle, but capacitive surfaces could soon be a thing of the past.

Euro NCAP, the leading car safety organization in Europe, will make it harder for manufacturers to achieve the top scores if they continue to bury key car functionality in touchscreens or shirk reliable, physical buttons.

What EV or automotive 'innovations' drive you round the bend? Let us know in the comments below.

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• The Infinite Machine P1 scooter features a 6kW rear hub motor
• Software package unlocks top speeds of 65mph
• Side panels can house cargo boxes or a massive loudspeaker

Infinite Machine isn’t afraid to do things a little differently and its original, angular Olto rapidly became known as the Cybertruck of the bike lanes – a Class 2 eBike that can hit a 33mph top speed and carry two passengers, all the while looking like something from a sci-fi movie.

Earlier this year, the New York-based company bolstered its line-up when it announced the P1, a similarly Judge Dredd daily commuter that wants to replace tired old internal combustion engine scooters with a smarter, anodized steel solution. Sound familiar?

"Our mission is to inspire a post-car future by building the best alternatives to cars.” says Joseph Cohen, CEO and co-founder of Infinite Machine.

Underneath the angular steel bodywork lies a 6kW hub motor that resides in the rear wheel. Power delivery is via a standard twist throttle, which comes with a reverse function and a Boost mode for rapid overtaking maneuvers.

The removable 72-volt 3.2kWh battery pack delivers around 60 miles of range on a single charge and can be plugged in and charged from any domestic socket. Customers can also buy multiple packs and strap them to the bodywork for extended trips.

There’s room on the rear for a passenger – and enough grunt from the motor to ensure progress remains swift when riding two-up – as well as a modular side panel set-up that can house toughened cargo boxes.

Alternatively, these panels can be swapped out for a loud speaker to get those New York style block parties going. Infinite Machine also offers its own matching detachable trailer for towing larger loads, such as hauling cool boxes to the beach.

Most basic driving licenses will cover riding the P1, or the equivalent of Compulsory Basic Training in the UK, but those with a full motorcycle license can pay to unlock full power and the top speed of 65mph.

The price of looking cool

Sick of plastic, budget scooters, co-founders and brothers Joe and Eddie Cohen wanted to introduce something more technologically accomplished to the scooter market, and the P1 packs the first automotive-grade dashboard and Apple CarPlay-enhanced infotainment system to the scene.

The P1’s bespoke Android and Apple app can be used as a digital key to unlock the bike, to check on the vehicle’s whereabouts when parked and take a live feed from the front and rear-mounted cameras to record rides for dash cam peace of mind.

Currently, the P1 is on sale in the US, where it costs $10,000 (around £7,500 / AU$15,000) and deliveries are expected to start this Fall. But pricing is yet to be announced for Europe and further afield.

However, Infinite Machine is due to attend this year’s EICMA motorcycle show in Italy, where it will reveal more about its market expansion strategy and pricing.

While electric scooters have often been more expensive than their petrol-powered counterparts, Honda's latest CUVe model, which offers a vaguely similar range and top speed to the P1, costs around £3,800 (around $5,100 / AU$7,780).

With the styling and technology onboard, it would be fair to assume Infinite Machine's model will command a premium for looking cool.

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• Tesla hacker finds cut-price Model Y secrets in firmware
• If correct, a number of creature comforts will be missing
• Screens, lights and seat controls are due for the cut

According to a well-known Tesla hacker, who goes by the name @greentheonly on X, the upcoming and hotly-tipped more “affordable” Model Y will be lacking a number of creature comfort and technological features.

Having dug through Tesla’s latest firmware, Green posted on X a series of features that are believed to be missing from the cheaper vehicle – codenamed internally “E41”.

Although the discovery is still very much open to interpretation, Green has often proven well ahead of the curve when it comes to uncovering hidden features or updates in code that Tesla is due to rollout.

After trawling through the latest firmware, the notorious hacker states that E41 will come with two audio systems, labelled internally as “essential” and “essential with commodity”, which suggests that some of Tesla’s famously powerful sound systems will be missing.

Similarly, the second row display, which allows rear passengers to binge YouTube and play video games, is also off the menu.

Thirdly, the backup camera will also seemingly lose a heater, which could see it prone to misting up and becoming inoperable in icy conditions, while power-folding mirrors appear to have been relegated to the scrap pile in order to cut costs.

Most of the money-saving efforts occur inside the cabin, where Green claims the panoramic glass roof has been replaced by a “fiberglass headliner”. Although we are unsure how it is possible to tell that from lines of code.

The cabin lighting is rumored to have been slimmed down to just footwell only, exterior puddle lamps have been removed and there are simplified electronic seat controls that only work on a single axis – which could either be forwards or backwards on the main runners, or seat-back angle adjustment. Clarity isn’t offered in the original X post.

Green also alludes to the fact that the suspension might be downgraded and the wheels “simplified” to 18-inch options.

There’s no concrete evidence of changes to the drivetrain, only that the cheapest Model Y could be offered in both all-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive configurations, with the potential for less powerful motors to be used.

Analysis: A step in the wrong direction

The recent updates to both the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 ushered in some monumental improvements to interior fit and finish, sound insulation and the quality of materials and components used.

As a result, both of these vehicles now feel like more serious propositions, veering away from the cheap finish and questionable build quality of the early Model S and Model Y. It has always been a criticism of Tesla, but now it feels like it is difficult to accuse the brand of cutting corners.

With the announcement of a more affordable Model Y, as well as a cheaper Model 3 that the company sells in Mexico, it feels like the company its undoing some of this hard work, stripping its cars of the features that customers gravitate towards.

Tesla attempted to do it with the Cybertruck, but found nobody wanted it and subsequently removed the 'entry-level' model from its online configurators after just five months.

While the Model Y isn’t the premium proposition that the Cybertruck wants to be, it remains a volume seller and one that comes with a certain level of customer expectation.

Cutting away features might help the company lower the asking price, but it also opens the door to rivals to offer a similar or better product for less, with the likes of Kia, Hyundai, XPeng, BYD and Leapmotor all duking it out to offer more bang for the buck.

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Blending the worlds of bicycle, tricycle, microcar and the European classification of quadricycle, the Cixi Vigoz aims to be a hybrid future transport solution that combines battery power with human muscle.

Designed by French engineering firm Cixi, which wants to transform passive journeys into something that can keep us fit, the company has used the futuristic extra-urban runaround to develop its clever PERS (pedaling energy recovery system) chain-less drive system.

Essentially, it consists of a fairly standard set of pedals that act as a throttle system, sensing input from the user and signaling the electric motor to deliver power to the wheels.

In early cargo bike applications, the company proved how mechanical energy produced by the rider was transformed into electricity and transferred directly to the motor.

Pedal faster, and the bike speeds up, pedal backwards and the bike slows, with regenerative braking feeding more energy back into the battery packs.

Now, the system has been integrated into a neat, leaning tricycle that sees the two wheels up-front take care of steering and a single wheel at the rear providing the final drive. Think of it a bit like a Can-Am Spyder, but with a roof and seatbelts.

With a 22kWh battery pack, the Vigoz delivers almost 100 miles of range, which can be replenished in just six hours from a domestic plug socket – or boosted by increased human leg power.

What’s more, the electric motor delivers enough grunt to propel the slightly mad machine up to speeds of 75mph, meaning it can keep up with most traffic.

Remember, all the while the 'driver' is pedaling, but thanks to the unique drivetrain, the user can select the amount of torque experienced through the cranks, allowing for a super easy commute if the legs aren’t up to it.

Vigoz is controlled via two levers, placed either side of the highly adjustable seat. These are used to steer, leaning the machine into corners much like many three-wheeled scooters on the market.

Traditional brake levers at the end of the controls help bring the Vigoz to a stop, while a small display gives speed read-outs and can sync with a smartphone for navigational duties.

It has also been designed to be IsoFix compatible, so can house most modern child seats, and large enough for a fully-grown adult to jump in the back. Plus, there’s a small cargo area at the rear for transporting kit.

Emissions-free commute? No sweat

Although the Vigoz is still very much a design study for now, the French company behind it says that it is close to putting a production-ready version on the road.

If and when it does finally arrive, Cixi claims that it will be offered as a subscription-only product, rather than offering it for sale privately. This is partly because it has been designed to last 15 years before it is properly recycled and disposed of in-house to improve its eco-credentials.

It might look a little odd, but Cixi says it is important to “reintroduce" just 30 minutes of moderate physical activity into our day for a better quality of life. And what better way to do this than on the daily commute?

According to its studies, the vehicle would suit those living in or around the French Alps, near the borders of Switzerland and Italy, where a lot of people travel from small towns into larger cities for work.

Shielded from the elements and sporting mod-cons, such as heaters, air-conditioning LED lighting and windshield wipers, the Cixi Vigoz could neatly blend the benefits of owning a push bike with the go-anywhere characteristic of a small EV.

Or we may never see or hear of it again…

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The automotive industry loves a buzzword – and while autonomous driving was a big deal a few years ago, it has now been replaced by virtual assistants and AI-enabled infotainment features.

But arguably the longest-standing topic for those with a keen interest in electric vehicles is the solid-state battery (SSB) and its promise of greater energy density, improved range and faster charging times.

With SSBs, automotive manufacturers can engineer smaller and lighter battery packs, without negatively impacting the distance between charge stops, while these energy-dense options better suit smaller applications, such as motorcycles.

Just to recap on the science, a solid-state battery replaces the typical liquid electrolyte found in most electric vehicles – including lithium-ion and other current chemistries – and replaces it with a solid electrolyte. Or at least a gel, as is the case with semi-solid state batteries like those found in the upcoming MG4.

Common solid-state electrolytes include polymer-based alternatives, oxide variations and even sulphide-based solutions, which seem to be winning the race for mass production based on a variety of factors.

But before we fall too far down the science lesson rabbit hole, it is worth noting that the conversation around solid-state batteries has bubbled to the surface because a greater number of recognized automotive manufacturers are now exploring the technology.

“The past few years have seen breakthroughs in solid electrolytes, manufacturing know-how and partnerships between start-ups and OEMs,” explains Dr. Kieran O'Regan, Chief Growth Officer at About:Energy, a company that specializes in data and modeling to help accelerate battery commercialization.

“However, the real accelerators now may be in parallel markets. Some developers, like Factorial Energy, are intentionally focusing on niche applications such as premium consumer electronics, aerospace or specialty vehicles to prove their economics and reliability before going fully automotive,” he adds.

Mercedes-Benz saw early promise in Factorial’s work and has recently completed a staggering 749-mile trip on a single charge with an EQS prototype fitted out with Factorial Energy’s lithium metal solid-state battery packs.

So far, the German automotive giant has proven that these packs allow for up to 25% more driving range compared to the same battery weight and size of a corresponding standard EQS battery. Now, it just has to be able to produce them at scale.

Better, Faster, Stronger

Another key benefit of solid-state battery technology is its ability to charge faster. With generally higher ionic conductivity and more thermal stability, engineers can experiment with much higher charging rates without the risk of thermal runaway – or massive overheating, in simple terms.

Huawei says that its SSB technology, which “dopes” sulfide electrolytes with nitrogen to improve performance, can safely charge 10%-to-80% in less than five minutes, while its monstrously energy dense packs could, theoretically, offer a range of 1,800 miles.

This is borderline pie-in-the-sky stuff, but Korean battery manufacture SK On, which supplies Hyundai, Kia, Ford and Nissan and more, claims that it already has prototype solid-state cells that could offer double the energy density of today’s EV batteries, resulting in a range of 600-odd miles with ease.

Similarly, Mercedes-Benz is hedging its bets by working with a number of potential battery suppliers to fast-track the technology into one of its upcoming EVs.

Farasis Energy, a company backed by the German automaker, claims that it is building a 0.2GWh pilot line for the new sulfide-based solid-state batteries, with deliveries starting by the end of this year, according to Electrek.

That’s relatively small-fry, considering China’s largest battery-maker, CATL, deployed a staggering 339.3GWh in 2024, but it is a step in the right direction.

Small but mighty

Just this month, the FIM (the body that looks after motorcycle racing) released a statement that said its pioneering Moto E electric motorcycle race would go on hiatus until the end of 2025 – citing poor fan engagement and the limited “development of the electric performance motorcycle market".

It was a blow to racing and electric motorcycles as a whole, but it hasn’t stopped the VW Group from coming out fighting. At the IAA Mobility Show in Munich this year, it showcased a high-performance V21L race motorcycle with a solid-state battery from QuantumScape and VW’s own PowerCo.

The idea is that this battery can charge from 10% to 80% in just over 12 minutes and discharge at much higher rates for improved performance, equating to a greater spectacle on the track.

Better still, these SSBs are lighter and more compact, yet boast greater energy density than the packs they replace, which is a win-win in the world of e-motorsports.

If proven on the race circuit, this technology could then feed into a number of automotive applications, including lightweight electric sports cars that have long been promised but have so far failed to materialize due to the excessive weight penalty today’s battery packs carry.

“The next step is improvements in manufacturing, and then chasing lithium-ion's low cost. That will unlock radically different experiences for consumers,” explain Dr Ian Campbell, CEO of Breathe Battery Technologies.

“For the EV engineers, it will create a whole new set of exciting software challenges to simulate and manage the new chemistry, so every solution will feel like a breakthrough rather than fine tuning,” he adds.

On solid ground

While solid-state battery technology has been hailed as a true turning point for electric vehicles, getting to the point of cost-effective mass production isn’t an easy task.

“Scaling from pilot lines to even thousands of packs per year remains the bottleneck,” explains Dr. Kieran O’Regan.

“The leap from cells built in the lab to automotive-grade packs at millions of units per year is proving slower and more expensive than initially forecast.

“Over the next decade, we can expect more demonstrator vehicles and niche deployments rather than widespread EV adoption. The trajectory resembles the early lithium-ion era, where sustained incremental progress rather than a single big bang moment drove commercialization,” he adds.

Despite a number of big-name Chinese brands claiming they will have mass-produced EVs with SSB technology by 2026, it is more likely these will feature a semi-solid state chemistry, which is exactly the halfway house it suggests.

Using a gel rather than a pure liquid introduces a number of benefits, including increased energy density, faster charging speeds and improvements in safety, but it’s not the mind-blowing headline figures we have seen published.

Chinese-owned MG, for example, will launch its new MG4 model globally later this year and it promises 333 miles from its semi solid-state battery packs. Range is not much beyond what we expect to see from today’s premium EVs, but this is in a car that will go on sale in China for less than $14,000 (around £11,000 / AU$21,000).

Battery technology is improving on an almost monthly basis, with each generation of new electric vehicle offering better range and more convenient fast-charging speeds. It’s only a matter of time before solid-state batteries become commonplace.

“Over the next five years, the combination of niche-market success, public-private funding and clearer supply chain pathways for solid electrolytes could finally shift solid-state batteries from hype to a credible, phased rollout in mainstream EVs,” adds Dr. Kieran O'Regan, Chief Growth Officer at About:Energy. And that will be a race that could ultimately make all EV owners feel like winners.

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• The NHTSA opens investigation on Tesla’s electric door handles
• Chinese authorities might ban them altogether
• VW boss says flush door handles are “terrible to operate”

Tesla was arguably the first major automotive brand to introduce electronic door handles back in 2012, when the style-forward mechanism on the Model S remained flush to the body work and then magically popped-out whenever the vehicle is unlocked.

The company even has a page on its website dedicated to how to live with them.

It is a technically neat design feature that has now been copied by multiple automotive brands, including Range Rover, Porsche and myriad Chinese EV brands.

But aside from being horrendously confusing to anyone not au fait with the technology, flush door handles are now under scrutiny by several authorities that are questioning their safety.

Car News China reported that regulators in the country have kick-started the process of investigating fully retractable door handles due to safety concerns, suggesting that there may be an outright ban on new vehicles offering them.

The same website cites China Insurance Automotive Safety Index (C-IASI) crash tests that revealed vehicles with electronic door handles achieved only a 67% door pop-out success rate in side collisions.

In the US, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into around 174,000 Tesla Model Y cars from the 2021 Model Year following several complaints from owners that they were unable to unlock the doors after stopping, according to the Financial Times.

There have been cases where occupants have become trapped inside Teslas after the onboard 12V battery has died. Unless the owners are familiar with the emergency release protocol, a number of cases have had to resort to breaking windows.

Tesla has now responded, telling Bloombergthat it's redesigning its door handles to make them more intuitive for people in "a panic situation".

This update will apparently combine the electronic and manual door-release mechanisms into one button, with Tesla design chief Franz von Holzhausen saying "we’ll have a really good solution for that" in response to those potential Chinese regulations, too.

VW boss says no to flush door handles

Thomas Schäfer, the CEO of Volkswagen passenger cars, has gone on record to say flush door handles look nice but are “terrible to operate”.

Speaking at the IAA Mobility show, Schäfer was ramming home the importance of functions being easy for customers to use. “We definitely have proper door handles on the cars and customers appreciate it,” he added.

Aside from offering minuscule improvements in aerodynamic performance, flush door handles are largely a styling or design choice, offering a touch of technological theatre that many customers have been convinced by.

But they are awful to use, often get completely stuck when frozen, with the potential to trap small fingers inside the mechanism.

I took custody of a Porsche Taycan Turbo for a couple of weeks this year and experienced pinched digits on multiple occasions.

Similarly, I also experienced the door handles completely freezing shut on an XPeng G6, having to head indoors for a jug of hot water just to get into the vehicle. I've also been trapped inside an early Tesla Model X, but that's another story.

Granted, this issue isn’t limited to just fully flush door handles, but it is exacerbated by a feature that isn’t entirely necessary.

Now, we could see authorities clamping down on grounds of safety, killing off a major automotive annoyance for good. Hallelujah.

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• UX 3.3 boosts towing capacity and offers new camera features
• Event Recording acts like a built-in dash cam
• Halo Secure functionality can protect the vehicle when parked

Owners of Lucid Motors’ high-tech Gravity SUV will receive an over-the-air update that brings some impressive new features.

Dubbed UX 3.3, the upgraded operating system now offers the ability for users to pin destinations in the navigation, while the map itself has been tweaked to give a better indication of the distance it is possible to travel on the EV’s remaining charge.

According to the Californian company, the audio system has also been optimized to reduce the background noise when making and taking calls.

But perhaps most interesting of all is the introduction of a Live View function that harnesses the power of the numerous external cameras to stream live footage to Lucid’s smartphone app.

The software is in Beta and Gravity owners can trial it for free until the end of the year. There’s no word on the cost after that.

This feeds into the brand’s latest Halo Secure Function, which is lifted straight from the Tesla playbook and allows owners to monitor the vehicle remotely via the app.

In addition to this, Drive Recorder also acts as a built-in dash cam. So long as the user hooks up an external storage device, such as a USB dongle or portable hard drive, the Gravity will automatically record and save any significant events, such as extreme or sudden braking, sharp steering inputs or a collision – all assisted by the various onboard sensors.

It’s a feature that has been heavily influenced by Tesla’s pioneering use of the Autopilot cameras, which can also save footage to a USB device either manually, or automatically when an incident is detected by the company’s sensors.

Pulling power

The Lucid Gravity can handle a max towing capacity of 6,000lbs, which isn’t up there with Rivian’s R1T or the various electric pick-ups on the market, but it is good enough for transporting lighter lifestyle accessories (boats, jet skis, motorcycles etc).

Lucid knows that it’s a big selling point so has also introduced a number of enhanced towing features, including a new Tow Mode that optimizes the vehicle settings for maximum performance and comfort.

There’s also integrated trailer braking control for those trailers equipped with electronic brakes and a special camera view in the Rear View Monitor that allows owners to keep an eye on their prized possessions when towing.

According to the Lucid owner's group, these updates can be activated with a simple OTA update, proving once again that Software Defined Vehicles genuinely improve with age.

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• Dreame is a Chinese manufacturer of TVs, hairdryers and more
• The company announced Dreame Automotive at the IAA Mobility Show
• A full concept of the Bugatti rival will go on display at CES 2026

A Chinese manufacturer of robotic vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, hair dryers and televisions has stated that it will launch into the automotive market next year, with its first ultra-luxury pure-electric product scheduled to go on sale in 2027.

While it is not unusual for Chinese companies to pivot from other industries into EVs (BYD used to make rechargeable batteries for consumer tech products, for example), it is rare for a company to attempt to take on supercar royalty with its first model.

Yu Hao, Founder and CEO of Dreame Technology, has stated that the company will unveil a concept version of its Bugatti-rivaling EV at next year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, with a production version ready as early as 2027.

So far, all we have seen are a handful of early renders that, if we are to be polite, look like somebody has punched "stretched Bugatti Chiron" into an AI image generator and distributed the results.

Sent over email by the company’s UK-based PR firm, the 'renders' feature wayward cloned bushes in the background, wheels that defy the laws of physics and what appears to be three rows of seats inside.

The interior images are also choc-full of AI image generation easter eggs, including garbled iconography, surfaces that magically change material and mis-matching door handles.

It is common practice for established automotive brands to reveal conceptual imagery of upcoming models or designs studies, but very few look as amateurish as these.

What’s more, it looks so much like a Bugatti's back catalogue that the VW-owned brand is likely to launch a law suit if this thing goes on public display in its current form.

It was all a Dreame

Despite the lazy renders, Dreame says that it is 100% committed to an automotive future, stating that the company has been considering a manufacturing site in Germany to "leverage the region’s mature localized supply chain for key automotive components".

There are very few details about the car itself, other than it will be ultra-luxurious and leverage the company’s deep technological expertise.

Dreame says that unlike traditional luxury cars, Dreame’s EV will feature “AI-driven designs focused on vitality and scalability, pioneering intelligent interaction to enhance the user experience".

That is the dictionary definition of word soup, but the company claims it has filed 3,155 patents globally and submitted a total of 6,379 applications, although it isn't clear whether that relates to its consumer technology business or its plans to dominate the luxury EV market.

What's more, this reflects badly on the Chinese automotive industry as a whole, as most brands have been working overtime to establish themselves as serious propositions, rather than something that pumps out cheap imitations of western brands.

All eyes are on CES 2026 to see if the Dreame becomes a reality, what it will actually look like and how angry Bugatti will be.

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Much has been debated about Apple’s latest iOS 26 software update, which brings with it the 'Liquid Glass' interface and arguably the most sweeping changes to the ways users interact with Apple products in recent years.

Another aspect it has affected is the extremely popular Apple CarPlay user interface, which allows drivers (and passengers) to mirror their smartphones on a vehicle’s infotainment display.

Most modern manufacturers now offer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility as standard but, if like me, you drive an older vehicle, you can also take advantage of the functionality when behind the wheel with a dedicated aftermarket head unit.

It was on one of these, admittedly rather small and a little clunky, aftermarket head units that I took the latest iteration of Apple CarPlay for a spin. Here are my top five new features.

1. The interface just looks better

While the new 'Liquid Glass' interface, with its almost opaque app icons, don’t really suit Apple CarPlay (it makes them difficult to see), the Default and Dark Mode settings look fantastic and really pop.

The app icons now have rounded edges and they contrast nicely against a choice of sleek-looking backgrounds, even on an average screen like mine.

When compared side-by-side with previous generations of CarPlay, it’s difficult to argue that it doesn’t look more modern. App icons swoop in with a neat animation, rather than remaining static, too.

Above all else, there’s an impressive amount of consistency throughout the interface, with all app icons receiving the same rounded refresh. There’s also an app dock that’s pinned to the side of the screen.

In my right-hand drive vehicle, this was handily pinned to the right, allowing quick and easy-to-reach access to the most recently used apps.

2. Widgets work (if you have a big screen)

Apple introduces its popular iPhone widgets feature to CarPlay with the iOS 26 update, allowing for a dedicated screen to display compact, 'quick-look' versions of favorite apps.

However, on smaller infotainment screens (mine is only around 7-inches), it’s only possible to display one widget at a time, which sort of defeats the object of stacking them for quick glances.

In the settings on my Apple iPhone 15, I could choose from five favorite widgets, all taken from the apps that already have installed. These can then be shuffled around in order of importance.

There are things like a digital clock, news headline summaries, recent WhatsApp conversations and daily calendar entries, all of which are pinned to the first page in Apple CarPlay.

As previously mentioned, I could only see one at a time on my small screen, having to scroll up and down between them, but it’s still a very handy way to get quick access to breaking news, view a weather update or shortcut to a WhatsApp conversation.

3. Notifications are less intrusive

Most folks plug their phone into a vehicle, boot up Apple CarPlay and then navigate via Google Maps, Waze or Apple Maps. Having notifications pop up on top of these apps can be confusing and frustrating when driving.

Apple has aimed to counter this with a new 'tapback' function on incoming iMessages. Now, it’s possible to quickly reply with an emoji, or silence future notifications in a small panel that pops up.

The number of responses are limited and if you need to explain anything beyond a love heart emoji or a question mark, you’ll have to resort to Siri.

Similarly, incoming phone calls no longer take over the entire screen, destroying any chance of viewing the next navigational instruction. Instead, they slide up neatly from the bottom of an app screen. Yay.

4. You can customize things (a bit)

Alongside the ability to select between a handful of sleek wallpapers (no access to Photos just yet for custom backgrounds), there’s a fair amount of customization within CarPlay settings.

You can change the text size, which is handy for smaller infotainment displays or those with poor eyesight, select between the Default or Dark screens, as well as opt for the full 'Liquid Glass' treatment if you dig that look.

The latter is supposed to be less distracting, as it ‘ghosts out’ the app icons. But on my screen, it made everything almost impossible to see in broad daylight, sending distraction levels through the roof.

5. Live activities are genuinely useful

Should you have a larger infotainment display, the stackable widgets page can also include Live Activities, which are very handy if you want to track something.

The most obvious example is live flight information from your favorite CarPlay-compatible app, as it allows you to chart progress on your way to the airport.

Similarly, there’s the option to have live sports scores displayed in a widget, so long as you follow teams or games within the Apple Sports application first.

Other apps that have been optimized for this functionality include things like RingGo parking, which can display remaining parking time on-screen, should you be sat in your car waiting to pick someone up.

But AirPlay only works with audio

There have been reports that Apple is looking to support AirPlay video within the CarPlay environment, so users can enjoy entertainment when parked.

I tried this using my system but could only manage to have the audio from a YouTube video cast to my CarPlay-enabled head unit. That's not the end of the world, as you could still enjoy a DJ mix or a documentary that doesn't require the visuals, but it's not perfect.

Apple says that it will "integrate support for CarPlay with AirPlay video to enable this feature in your car," but it will be down to the manufacturer to choose how and when they activate it.

Similarly, the new pinch-to-zoom function only works on select vehicles that allow for multi-gesture control, which again has to be decided by the automaker.

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• Hyundai, Kia and Genesis cars will get the Xbox app soon
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• But your boss can also schedule Zoom calls while you travel

While show-goers were distracted by an array of shiny concept cars and advanced robots, LG held a press conference at the IAA Mobility show in Munich to announce its partnership with Xbox.

That’s right, it wants to bring AAA gaming titles to future vehicles through its webOS-based Automotive Content Platform (ACP), which is already in use by certain models from the Hyundai Motor Group (think Kia, Hyundai and Genesis).

The technology giant said that the Xbox app would be integrated into LG’s ACP and those with the Xbox app, an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, a compatible Bluetooth controller and supported internet access could gain access to “hundreds of games”.

However, there is a catch, because the other panel speaker was Brendan Ittelson, Chief Ecosystem Officer at Zoom. That’s right, if you want to enjoy gaming, you’ll also have to put up with Zoom calls in the car.

A native Zoom app will apparently “transform vehicles into mobile collaboration spaces” – or allow your boss to schedule a meeting when you’d rather be enjoying a podcast.

A smart TV on wheels

Thanks to LG’s webOS-based Automotive Content Platform, a number of cars from the Hyundai Motor Group can already offer things like Netflix, Disney+, YouTube and Baby Shark World for Kids directly form the infotainment system.

All of these apps are designed for use when the vehicle is parked, helping owners kill some time when they are perhaps charging an EV, or waiting to pick up the kids from school.

Mercedes-Benz also showcased gaming inside its vehicles with the recently-launched CLA, which features the marque’s new hyperscreen and a Dolby Atmos-enabled sound system, which allows customers to tether a gaming controller and partake in some Fortnite action or indulge in a film when parked.

Vehicles are rapidly becoming extension to the entertainment space, but at the same time, they are also another excuse to remain connected to the office.

That might be a positive addition for some, but I’d rather not have to take Zoom calls when on the move.

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• Tesla removes the $70,000 Cybertruck from its configurator
• With all of its most desirable assets stripped, it didn’t sell well
• The divisive pick-up has had one of its slowest years to date

Tesla has removed the cheapest Cybertruck variant from its US-based online configurator, leaving just the All-Wheel-Drive and Cyberbeast models for sale.

Only launched less than five months ago, the Long Range, Rear-Wheel-Drive (RWD) option was priced at $69,990 (around £51,000 / AU$105,000), undercutting the rest of the range by $10,000.

The move was designed to increase uptake and boost floundering sales of the divisive pick-up, but the company's decision to scrap it so soon appears to suggest it had the opposite effect.

Even upon launch, many potential buyers poured scorn on the decision to release a cheaper option, stating that most of the desirable assets had been stripped away, while the financial savings weren’t great enough to make up for the compromise.

As a reminder, the RWD variant removed a motor, making it far less powerful than the All-Wheel-Drive and Cyberbeast models. Tesla also chose to remove the active air suspension and the popular power outlets in the bed, adding an awkward manual tonneau cover – as opposed to the motorized version – and tiny 18-inch wheels.

As is the way with updates to the Tesla model range, the Californian company chose to remove the cheapest Cybertruck quietly from its configurator.

Those logging on now will notice the $79,990 (without the $7,500 federal tax credit applied) All-Wheel Drive model is the entry into the range, with Cyberbeast costing $114,990.

Tesla pushes upmarket as sales slide

The Cybertruck has had one of its worst years on record so far, logging just 4,306 units in the second quarter of 2025, according to Cox Automotive.

In 2024, Tesla recorded 39,000 sales, which made it the best-selling electric pick-up truck on sale in the US, but those figures have been sliding and this year, it has been bettered by the GMC Hummer EV and Ford F-150 Lightning, both of which are selling in relatively tiny numbers.

Whichever way you look at it, the numbers just don’t match the 250,000 units per year that the company originally stated it would produce, with Musk even suggesting that the company had the capacity to produce 500,000. I’m sure he’s glad he didn’t.

What’s more, the US electric pick-up truck market as a whole is struggling, with Ram recently announcing that it has ditched plans to release its own EV, citing weak demand.

As Tesla sales take a hit across the line-up, the company has been slowly pushing prices of its more premium offerings up, with the Model S and Model X both receiving a mandatory Luxe Package that increased the sticker price by $10,000 earlier this year.

So perhaps the Cybertruck decision was made in line with this tactic – clearly setting its stool out as a premium product.

But where the stainless steel behemoth might have proven an instant PR and marketing success, snaring untold headlines and raising awareness of the brand way beyond early EV converts, it hasn’t lived up to the hype.

In fact, Tesla has only ever managed to sell just over 40,000 units of the vehicle in a single year when things were going well, and since then, the model itself has become a focal-point for anti-Tesla protest.

Throw into the mix the numerous recall issues, the axing of the range-extender battery pack and promise of inductive charging, and it feels like even Tesla has admitted defeat.

We have reached out to the company for comment, but have so far not had a response.

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Germany’s premier motor show packed up its bags and moved from Frankfurt to Munich in 2021 and it hasn’t looked back since. In fact, the newly-titled IAA Mobility very much looks forward, as this gathering of metal is as concerned with robotics and AI as it is with shiny show cars.

This year was jam-packed with exclusive reveals and a look at what we can expect from the automotive world in the coming years, with a record number of Chinese upstarts joining the more traditional western automakers in the vast halls of Munich’s Messe building.

Xpeng’s impressively large stand was only dwarfed by the Volkswagen Group’s monster, which was (perhaps deliberately) placed bang opposite the Chinese EV newcomer and showcased concepts and new models from most of its brands, including Skoda, VW, SEAT and Porsche

Changan, GAC and Nio squared off against BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Polestar as they look to crack the European market, while some of the world’s largest Tier 1 suppliers (those who supply products directly to manufacturers) showcased advances in battery technology, robotics and artificial intelligence – arguably the automotive buzzword of the year.

Where motor shows of decades gone by were very much a celebration of the internal combustion engine, today’s automotive gatherings are all about the technology, with more chat about software than 0-60mph sprint times.

With that in mind, these are the most important launches I saw from the show, including wild concept cars, future production models and the latest innovations that will underpin tomorrow’s transport.

1. Xpeng P7+

Xpeng has been compared to Tesla on numerous occasions and the observation is valid. The company is exploring all pillars of mobility, from current-day EVs to future flying cars and even humanoid robots, which founder He Xiaopeng says will become commonplace during the next decade.

The company believes that the technology it has developed in-house, which includes producing its own “Turing” chips that provide potent compute power, will underpin a raft of solutions, including those with wheels and propellors, or even arms and legs.

This year, Xpeng says maiden flights of its Land Aircraft Carrier modular flying car will take place outside of China, with October’s demoes in Dubai hoping to snare more customers to add to the 6,000 that have already placed deposits. By 2026, it says it will be the world’s biggest flying car company.

But the slightly more down-to-earth P7+ EV made its European debut in Munich, with its 92.2kWh battery pack, 800V architecture and 585bhp drawing the crowds. Xpeng says fast-charging takes as little as 12 minutes for a 10%-to-80% top-up. It also relies heavily on AI to both improve vehicle dynamics and better serve the driver with next-gen infotainment.

It’s set to roll out in Europe soon, which has likely irked Polestar, seeing as the Swedish brand took the wraps off an eerily similar-looking Grand Tourer just a few hours after the P7+’s reveal.

2. Polestar 5

That leads us on nicely onto the Polestar 5 – another sleek electric machine that will count the Audi e-tron GT and Porsche Taycan among keen rivals when it arrives next year. With up to 871bhp on tap, it’s the most powerful Polestar yet, so comes with racy features, like sculpted front seats co-developed by Recaro.

It’s a long, low looker that can manage 416 miles of range on a single charge when the slightly lower-powered Launch Edition is selected. Stepping up to the Performance trim sees the 0-62mph sprint dispatched in just 3.1 seconds and the price rise to an eye-watering $142,000 / £104,900 / AU$214,000.

Early drives by some journalists suggest that Polestar has been playing down those performance figures, with acceleration times actually quicker in real life.

But like the Taycan that it will go up against, Polestar also nails the interior design, with a sleek, minimalistic cabin that comfortably houses four, but can extend to a tight five-seater by retracting the arm rest in the rear.

Headroom is increased in that department with some clever design and the deletion of the rear window. So, as with Polestar 4, drivers will have to rely on a live feed from the camera when reversing into tight spots.

• Read more: The new Polestar 5 Grand Tourer has the Porsche Taycan in its sights – and yes, there's still no rear windscreen

3. BMW iX3

BMW has been leaking information about its “Neue Klasse” of electric vehicles for years now, but the upcoming iX3, which was on display in Munich, is the first real look at what we can expect from this new era.

Kick-starting a range that is supposedly going to deliver 40 new models in the next couple of years, the modern SUV isn’t quite as handsome as its earlier concept vehicles would suggest but it goes big on the figures: 500-miles of range from a monster 108.7kWh battery pack and charging times as low as 10 minutes to add 231-miles. Nice.

The interior also ushers in a new era of BMW Panoramic Vision iDrive, which consists of an interestingly-shaped infotainment screen, haptic controls on the steering wheel and a full-width windscreen display that can be customized with various widgets.

• Read more: BMW reveals new iX3 EV with a monster 500-mile range, but I was expecting more from the first of the 'Neue Klasse'

4. Cerence Mobile Work AI Agent

Ok, so this isn’t a flashy new concept vehicle but it is a much safer way to catch up on work stuff when behind the wheel. Yay!

Cerence has teamed up with Microsoft 365 Copilot to boost its xUI AI assistant platform so it can now delve into all of your Cloud-based Word and Excel documents, scan calendar entries and even allow drivers to draft messages or plan meetings using natural speech.

The company also claims it will provide proactive navigation suggestions that integrate with users’ work calendars to guide them to their next meeting without manual input. The agent will also learn preferences over time, recognizing that some drivers prefer silence during certain parts of their journeys, and users will be able to tell the AI agent to hush-up mid-conversation.

There’s no word on when it’s going live, but Cerence is already works closely with Renault and most of the brands in the Volkswagen Group, so we imagine it won’t be long before that relaxing commute becomes just another extension of the workplace. Sigh.

5. Hyundai Concept Three

Fresh off the back of the wild Insteroid concept comes another madcap design study from the Korean marque. Simply called Concept Three, it showcases the first “compact” EV under the Ioniq sub brand of electrified cars.

It builds on the brand’s ‘Art of Steel’ design language, which was first showcased on the hydrogen-powered Initium concept and has since been incorporated in the most recent H-supping Nexo model.

Parametric Pixel lighting is back, featuring at both the front and rear of the vehicle, while pixelated displays can be found throughout the cabin. There’s even one at the centre of the steering wheel that flashes the message “oops” for some reason.

Mr Pix is another blocky little digital character that pops up on the numerous displays, bearing more than a hint of a resemblance to an old-school Tamagotchi. It’s unsure whether you have to feed him and clean up his poop, though.

There isn’t any information on powertrains of performance figures, but you can guarantee at least some of the whackier design elements will appear on the Ioniq production car, as Hyundai seems to be pushing boundaries on that front at the moment.

6. Mercedes-Benz GLC

Not ones to be outdone by its close Germanic rivals, Mercedes-Benz also took the wraps off the new GLC, arguably one of the marque’s most popular SUVs. Perhaps not so popular is the fact that it’s going all-electric.

This is signified by a big, illuminated three-pointed star on the grille and a slightly less obvious new platform that underpins the whole shebang. It will run the same MB.OS infotainment system that we tested in the recent CLA, while 800V architecture ensures fast charging.

It will offer a 435-mile range from a 94kWh battery and 483bhp thanks to dual motors in the range-topping GLC EQ 400 when it goes on sale, with charging speeds pegged at 330kW if you can find the appropriate outlet.

As is the way with modern Mercedes, the interior is festooned with digital displays, including the option of a full-width, 39.1-inch screen that is the largest ever implemented by the brand.

7. Cupra Tindaya

Cupra, the younger, funkier sibling of Seat, is busy pushing back against the onslaught of autonomous driving and robo taxis, putting the driver in the, erm, driver’s seat by unleashing this angry-looking concept.

Named after a volcanic mountain in Fuertaventura, Tindaya feels more reptilian than automotive, with slashes over the rear haunches and a ‘spine’ that holds the detachable roof panels making it look alive… even when parked.

The accompanying press release is filled with phrases like “phygital” and “digital aura” but there’s not a lot of mention of cold, hard stats.

We expect it to heavily influence the next generation of high-performance SUVs from the brand, which is rapidly becoming one of the fastest growing in Europe. It seems Seat has hit a rich seam with 'da kids'.

8. VW ID.Cross Concept

Volkswagen made a big splash at the IAA Mobility show this year. Not only did the VW Group have arguably the most impressive stand going, Volkswagen itself unveiled three new models.

The ID. Polo and a red hot ID. Polo GTI model were teased before the show, but the company also decided to showcase what a jacked-up SUV version of its ID. Polo will look like with the ID. Cross Concept.

Production versions of all of the aforementioned cars will go on sale as early as next year and the VW Group is on a mission to offer compact, electrified models from the likes of Skoda, Seat and VW for as little as €25,000 – or $30,000 / £25,000 / $45,000.

But back to the ID. Cross Concept: it’s a handsome-looking thing, with hints of ID Buzz about it on the flanks, a relatively aggressive front end and an interior that features real, tangible buttons – not just haptic nonsense.

9. QuantumScape Solid State Batteries

There was a lot of talk of solid-state batteries at this year’s show, with Rimac, CATL and more unveiling innovations that boost range, performance, safety and longevity.

Solid State is billed as the next big thing in battery development and QuantumScape, partnering with the VW Group’s PowerCo, unveiled the first anode-free solid-state batteries to go beyond the lab environment and into a vehicle.

That vehicle is the Ducati V21L prototype motorcycle that is destined to pummel the race circuit over the coming months to test the technology’s capability under the most extreme conditions.

The FIM MotoE World Championship is on hiatus until the end of this year, giving both Ducati and QuantumScape more time to fine-tune their technologies. Already, the new cells have allowed for a weight saving of 8.2kg.

QuantumScape says the solid-state packs offer an 844 Wh/L energy density – greater than that of Tesla and BYD’s current technology – as well as 12-minute charging times.

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The pivot from the internal combustion engine is helping reduce local emissions, but it is also hitting the bottom lines of the big oil companies. Shell knows this and has been growing its EV public charging network across 30 markets worldwide over the last decade.

But aside from ensuring drivers can top up at its gas stations, the oil company is also researching ways of reducing the amount of time electric vehicle owners have to wait around to charge.

Its latest technology looks set to “unlock significant reductions in charging times,” according to the company.

To get to the bottom of this technology, we have to get to the bottom of thermal fluid developments, which may well give some readers flashbacks to overbearing science teachers, so apologies for that.

In short, Shell’s EV-Plus Thermal Fluid features a proprietary Shell Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) Technology. These are electrically non-conductive fluids that facilitate heat transfer by filling all of the tiny gaps within the battery pack, “maximizing direct contact between the fluid and each battery cell,” Shell says.

EV battery performance, health and lifespan have a lot to owe to thermal management and advances in battery management software and AI have allowed many manufacturers to eke an increasing amount of range and faster charging speeds out of their models.

But Shell says that it can demonstrate 10%-to-80% charging times of less than 10 minutes with a 34kWh battery pack that uses the company’s Thermal Fluids. It apparently reduces thermal stresses “very significantly”, allowing much higher cell charging currents to be tolerated.

Convenient charging for the win

The company doesn’t make any mention of the sort of power it is delivering to its batteries to achieve such a charging rate (it claims it can add around 15 miles per minute of charging), only that it can “open the door to a new generation of more sustainable, efficient and cost-effective battery electric vehicle solutions".

Zeekr already offers those kinds of charging speeds with its Golden Battery that’s found in the Zeekr 7X model. It has already been demonstrated to achieve a 10-80% charge in around 9 minutes and 45 seconds.

However, we still don’t know what the health state of those battery packs will look like after many years of ultra-rapid charging. Shell says its technology will allow for these heady charging speeds in more compact battery solutions, all without compromising cell integrity and lifetime.

It's a noble effort, if not a solution for right now, as faster charging speeds and long-term battery health are key to convincing customers to make the switch to electric – and ultimately using Shell's shiny new charging network.

After all, nobody wants to wait for 45 minutes to get on with their journey and EV residual values have taken a big hit thanks to uncertainty over battery state of charge (SOC) after several years of ownership.

• I've driven the ultra fast-charging Zeekr 7X – and it shows Chinese EVs are still better at premium design than driving experiences
• Anyone with an iPhone in the US can now download the Tesla Robotaxi app and join the queue for a ride
• The new Polestar 5 Grand Tourer has the Porsche Taycan in its sights – and yes, there's still no rear windscreen

Honda revealed that it will no longer sell its formidable Civic Type-R in Europe at the end of this year, bringing a 30-year legacy to a close and causing many fans of the multiple award-winning hot hatch to shed a tear or two.

In fact, Honda doesn’t really offer anything in the way of a sports car at the moment, but that hasn’t prevented it from investing cash in the development of an interactive ‘Dream Drives’ map.

Curated by “motoring experts, driving enthusiasts, as well as Civic Type R owners,” the bespoke website features the best driving roads across Europe, covering everything from short blasts in Denmark, to more meandering mountain passes in Switzerland.

The slick digital interface features some fairly obvious candidates, such as the Passe dello Stelvio in Italy, but it also features lesser-known road trips that traverse Estonia and into Lithuania.

Some of the other highlights include The Blue Road (which takes you across Sweden and Finland through fjords and lakes), the Col de Turini in France (which stars in the Monte Carlo Rally), and the 1500km Wild Atlantic Way that takes you across the west coast of Ireland.

All of the featured routes neatly boast a 'Drive Now' button that clicks through to a complete route-planner on Google Maps, inclusive of any traffic notifications or road works limitations.

Honda says that this specially commissioned and unprecedented collection of roads is the “perfect way to sign-off the Civic Type R in Europe” and that it allows owners to go out and actually enjoy their cars.

What’s more, the dedicated microsite is accessible on both mobile and desktop, letting you search for a specific road or find inspiration by country, route type, drive distance or duration.

Driving: enjoy it while you can

If you own a Honda Civic Type-R – or any Type-R badged models from Honda's back catalogue – lucky you. The Japanese marque's current line-up consists of relatively uninspiring SUVs and the Jazz, which doesn't show any signs of expiring.

Personally, I'm not too sure tackling Scotland's North Coast 500 in a hybrid ZR-V would hit quite the same as experiencing it in an NSX, but fair play to the marque for admitting that some customers still enjoy the thrill of driving – and recognizing its diehard Type-R following.

Let's hope this means Honda has some exciting cars in the pipeline, because whatever replaces the Civic Type-R has some big boots to fill.

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• BMW’s Senior Vice President of UI/UX reveals key details about CarPlay usage
• The German brand recently said it would not go ahead with CarPlay Ultra
• There’s a “CarPlay Myth” on the internet, BMW exec claims

Stephan Durach, BMW’s senior vice president of UI/UX development, has argued that there is a “CarPlay myth” circulating the internet, according to a recent conversation with BMW Blog.

Durach claims that not as many BMW drivers are relying on the technology for navigation as the world thinks, going on to explain that the company’s own navigation systems are doing much of the heavy lifting.

According to the man in charge of user interface and user experience at the brand, BMW collects anonymized data from 10 million cars, allowing data analysts and engineers to track what features they are using on a regular basis.

"We can see what our customers are doing, what kind of controls they’re using, in what of kind of driving conditions they’re using them," he told BMW Blog.

"People say they’re driving all around and using CarPlay for navigation. I can tell you, that’s not true," he adds.

With this data set in mind, Durach reveals that many drivers still have their phone connected for “dedicated uses”, including messaging services, but he claims that a lot of drivers have started using BMW’s navigation system instead.

On top of this, there has been an increase in the amount of BMW's voice command usage, as well as more reliance on head-up displays and other devices that don't currently support CarPlay.

The rise of automaker infotainment

While Durach doesn’t delve deeper into specifics, such as the percentage of drivers that use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, nor does he mention the age or demographic of those preferring BMW's navigation system, his statements seem to confirm BMW’s reasons for rejecting Apple CarPlay Ultra.

After all, the German marque is about to release an all-new version of its iDrive system in the upcoming iX3, which will include the most advanced, windscreen-spanning head-up display (HUD) to date.

Right now, standard Apple CarPlay does not work with HUDs, nor can it tap into specific vehicle data in the majority of vehicles, such as an EV's state of charge or tackle something as simple as adjusting the climate control.

Porsche and Ford are among the few automakers to attempt to build out Apple CarPlay functionality in their vehicles so users don’t continually have to leave the environment to adjust some simple car controls, but it remains clunky and looks naff.

Apple CarPlay Ultra is supposed to address many of these issues but it has been met with resistance, not just because it hands too much control (and design decisions) over to Apple, but also because it isn’t particularly slick or nice to look at.

The fact of the matter is, automotive manufacturer infotainment systems are rapidly becoming slicker, smarter and more intelligent, and with an increasing reliance on AI and LLMs to offer digital companions, a growing percentage of the interaction with future vehicles will be via voice commands or natural speech.

Plus, most of the smartphone apps we love and use on a regular basis are now housed on native infotainment systems anyway.

As the world pivots towards electrification, there will be more of an emphasis on smart route-planning that factors in the most efficient charging stops. I'm increasingly moving away from Goole Maps and Waze for this very reason.

Due to both Apple and the automakers sandboxing data, CarPlay could continue to fall behind without greater manufacturer collaboration in the future.

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• Mercedes engineers drove from Stuttgart in Germany to Malmo, Sweden
• The 749-mile journey was made on a single charge
• Endeavor proves the energy density of future solid-state battery packs

Mercedes-Benz continues to demonstrate the power of its solid-state battery technology, with its most recent road trip covering a staggering 749 miles on a single charge.

Its team of engineers loaded up the EQS test vehicle in Stuttgart, Germany and took the scenic route to Malmo in Sweden. Calculated using Electric Intelligence – the marque’s clever route-planning software – the journey factored in topography, traffic, ambient temperature, as well as energy needs for heating and cooling to maximize range.

The German brand, which has already set numerous electric vehicle distance records with its highly-optimized EQXX rolling laboratory, is keen to point out that the EQS used in its latest endeavor was only lightly modified.

Existing lithium-ion packs were swapped out for lithium-metal solid-state cells developed by US-based manufacturer Factorial Energy. The pack itself was then honed by Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains, which specializes in F1 technology.

Despite the weight and size of the solid-state battery being comparable to current EQS technology, the useable energy content is apparently 25% greater, while additional energy efficiency savings were made through passive airflow cooling.

This resulted in a bladder-busting road trip that actually surpassed the previous record set by the Vision EQXX on its Stuttgart–Silverstone route by just shy of two miles. In fact, the solid-state packs still boasted 85 miles remaining when the EQS arrived at its destination.

A solid case for solid-state

Many automotive brands are deep in the research phase of solid-state battery tech, while a number of Tier 1 suppliers and specialists are pushing the tech forward.

At this year’s IAA Mobility show in Munich, Rimac showcased its developments in the area, while the VW Group shoehorned a small solid-state battery pack into a Ducati motorcycle so it could undergo rigorous testing on the race circuit.

MG is poised to be the first to release a mass-produced semi solid-state battery in the upcoming MG4 refresh, which are cheaper and slightly easier to manufacture, while IM Motors and Nio in China already have models on sale. BMW also has demonstration i7 models running all-solid state prismatic cells developed by Colorado-based battery start-up Solid Power.

Currently, the complex manufacturing processes and the high costs involved have so far prevented all solid-state battery tech from reaching critical mass, but it is only a matter of time.

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• Cybertruck engineer claims Tesla has scrapped plans for wireless charging
• The Cybertruck's height has been cited as a reason for the tech not working
• Porsche has announced that it will launch inductive tech next year

Tesla had the rumor mill in full swing last year when a series of events strongly hinted that the company was exploring wireless, inductive charging. But those hopes have now seemingly been dashed.

Eagle-eyed Tesla fans first spotted images that appeared to show a wireless charging plate in a presentation that took place during an investor’s day in 2023.

Tesla chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, then told Jay Leno during the run-up to the Cybertruck launch that the company was working on inductive charging so customers wouldn’t have to physically plug in.

However, another Tesla employee close to Cybertruck says that idea is dead in the water. According to lead engineer Wes Morrill, there is “nothing planned there,” as reported by NotATeslaApp.

The website quotes a Discord chat where Wes put to bed any rumors surrounding Cybertruck's involvement with inductive charging.

"Wireless charging for something as far off the ground as the CT is silly,” he said, going on to explain that to compensate for the truck’s height, a wireless charging base would need to be at least six-inches tall, which clearly isn’t the sleek package Tesla was hoping for.

We’ve reached out to Tesla for clarification, but the company hasn’t released a statement to confirm whether it was ever working on wireless charging in the first place, or if it has cancelled plans to investigate it further.

Last year, the Cybertruck Owner's Club spotted references to release connectors for an Inductive Charger in the vehicle's service manual last year, so the rumors weren't without substance. But it seems the long wait could continue indefinitely.

Porsche leads the wireless charge

Although we are waiting for confirmation from Tesla, the news surrounding wireless charging could be regarded as another blow for Cybertruck.

Marketed as the pinnacle of Tesla technology, it is already considered a failed project by many critics, seeing as it has underperformed on original range claims, has been subject to a number of recalls, has had its much-lauded range extended battery pack scrapped, and has sold far fewer units than original forecast.

Where Tesla has slowed its rate of EV innovation in recent years, other brands have been capitalizing.

Porsche revealed last week that it will offer the world’s first production wireless charging pad on the upcoming Cayenne SUV, allowing for 11kW charging speeds without the unsightly cables.

There’s no word on how expensive it will be, or what the predicted uptake might look like, but it feels like a technological step forward for EVs nonetheless.

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• Polestar unveils its latest 5 model at the IAA Mobility show
• Grand Tourer stays true to the stunning Precept concept
• But owners will have to make do with a “virtual” rear window

After much teasing and arguably one of the best-looking concept cars of 2024, Polestar has finally taken the wraps off its rather handsome Polestar 5 Grand Tourer.

Clearly created to tackle the mighty electric super sedans from Porsche, Audi, BMW and Lucid, Polestar’s 5 comes in two distinct flavors – both of which sport very impressive statistics.

The Dual Motor Launch Edition, which will cost £89,500 / AU$187,000 (around $120,000), features a 112kWh battery pack that’s good for 416 miles on a single charge, while the potent powertrain kicks out 737bhp and 812Nm of torque for a 0-62mph sprint time of just 3.9 seconds.

Customers can tick the 'go faster' box and opt for a Performance Launch edition that costs an extra £15,400 / AU$23,100 but sees the output rise to an unfathomable 871bhp and 1,015Nm of torque. Rest to 62mph takes 3.2 seconds, but range drops to 351 miles.

Those sort of numbers see it lurk in the same high-performance pool as the Porsche Taycan Turbo S and GT, as well as the Audi e-tron GT models, with the Launch Edition bettering both when it comes to electric range.

As you’d expect from a modern premium EV, an 800V electrical architecture is in place to support rapid charging of the monster 112kWh battery packs. Polestar says it can charge from 10-80% in around 20 minutes from 350kW outlets.

Designed predominantly with four people in mind, the front seats have been designed in collaboration with racing specialist Recaro, while the sculpted rear pews offer plenty of space for two adults, with a nice arm rest in the middle. You can likely squeeze a fifth little person in if you must.

The Swedish marque has maximized rear headroom by moving the rear header structure backwards and – brace yourselves – getting rid of the rear window. That’s right, it will feature the same camera-based rear-view system as the Polestar 4, which divided opinion.

Inside, Polestar sticks with the same Android Automotive operating system that offers live route planning through Google Maps and all manner of downloadable apps on a slick 14.5-inch portrait display.

The Polestar 5 is also capable of semi-autonomous driving functionality thanks to its suite of cameras, radars and ultrasonic sensors. It offers its Pilot Assist cruise control at speeds of up to 93mph... if you like speeding tickets.

The most 'Polestar' Polestar yet

The crisp exterior styling, minimalistic interior and monster performance figures make the Polestar 5 feel like the car the brand has been itching to make.

After all, the company was previously the performance arm of Volvo and hit the market with a bang when it launched the high-powered hybrid with manually adjustable Ohlins suspension in the form of the Polestar 1.

Since then, it has found success with the sleek Polestar 2 and the more recent 3 and 4 SUVs, but none of those have ticked all of the boxes for driving enthusiasts. The Swedish marque hopes the 5 will do such a thing.

While it likely won’t be a huge volume seller, given the fact that it costs so much, the Polestar 5 will undoubtedly act as a halo product to attract newcomers to the brand.

It has been experiencing strong sales in recent months, with a 51% increase in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the previous year.

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• The first of BMW’s 'New Class' of vehicles is the the new iX3
• The largest battery models will offer a 500-mile electric range
• The interior ushers in a new iDrive infotainment system

BMW has taken the wraps off the first of its new 'Neue Klasse' vehicles — a self-confessed resetting of the design language and approach to electric vehicle design from the German brand.

First teased in the smooth and shapely BMW Vision Neue Klasse saloon two years ago, and then again with the X-badged Sports Activity Vehicle last year, the new lines veer away from the divisive giant front grilles and chintzy chrome towards a simpler, more cohesive future look.

We are told the bold new approach will feature across more than 40 new models in the next two years, which is a staggering power play from a brand that, like so many established premium players, is feeling the heat from numerous more affordable Chinese rivals.

The German marque is also setting out its stool when it comes to the performance of its electric powertrain, with the range-topping iX3 50 xDrive offering up to 500 miles on the WLTP cycle from a 108.7kWh battery pack.

Ultra-rapid charging of up to 400kW is possible thanks to the now ubiquitous 800V electrical architecture, which will see 231 miles of range added in just 10 minutes.

BMW has also started from scratch with the electrical architecture that will underpin the next generation of EVs. Four 'superbrain' high-performance computers will oversee driving dynamics, automated driving, infotainment and basic comfort functions.

The so-called 'Heart of Joy' control unit will look after vehicle dynamics and is said to be 10 times faster than conventional rivals.

There’s impressive stuff inside the cockpit too, with an all-new iteration of BMW’s Panoramic iDrive infotainment system, which now consists of a trapezoidal central touchscreen, haptic buttons on the steering wheels and the pièce de résistance in the form of a huge black strip that runs the width of the windshield.

This will house six individual data areas that can be customized to offer all manner of driving information, navigational instruction and multimedia. We will have to wait and see what it is like to interact with (especially those haptic steering wheel buttons), but it certainly looks impressive in the flesh.

Analysis: Big range, big tech, bold looks

While there are some styling elements that hark back to the undeniably beautiful original "New Class" cars of the 1960s, the exterior of the first modern interpretation will likely divide opinion.

The press images do a lot of heavy lifting, showing off the side creases with clever use of reflections and making the stance look more aggressive with lighting tricks, but I was a tad disappointed seeing it in the flesh.

It’s still not a conventionally beautiful car and although it steers clear of the enormous chrome kidney grille of recent BMW models, it still relies on illuminated elements that have become increasingly popular on models hailing from China.

But BMW says prices will starts at £58,755 for the 50 xDrive in the UK, with prices expected to start at under $60,000 in the US (around AU$91,00), which is less than both the current ICE X3 and the outgoing iX3 EV, despite being roomier, more powerful and offering a vastly greater range.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all, but BMW seems to be ensuring everything else in the Neue Klasse package ticks all of the right boxes.

I’m just happy to hold out for the saloon version, which promises to look infinitely better.

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I get excited about practically every electric car I review, but few have had me as giddy as the Hyundai Inster. This small and practical car feels like it was tailor-made for my lifestyle and the livelihoods of anybody living in the inner city, and while its tiny size may be its most noticeable feature, there’s so much more to love about this humble transporter.

My colleague Leon Poultney got hands-on with the Hyundai Inster in November 2024, and he also adored how cute and compact the car was – so to avoid going over old ground, I’m going to focus on all the other aspects of the Inster that make it such a win in my book.

The Inster is, in many ways, a response to cheap and compact small electric cars from China dominating markets across the world. It’s the South Korean answer to the BYD Dolphin, MG4 and GWM Ora, though the Inster is smaller (but taller) than all of these. Despite being smaller, it offers some noble traits over its competition, like generous legroom in the back and reliable driver assistance tech. Indeed, this car feels like the refinement that the entry-level EV market needed, particularly here in Australia where I’m based.

One of the things keeping the Inster back, however, is that it’s not exactly entry-level. It’s pricey for such a small car, and though it boasts generous range and efficiency when assessing its battery size and overall performance, if you have this much to spend, on the whole you’ll get a better all-around vehicle with the MG4.

But the Hyundai Inster has things that the MG4 crucially lacks – style, refinement and a small but practical shape. I think the Inster looks iconic, perhaps not in the same way as a Mini Cooper S or a Mazda MX-5, but it does feel like this is an EV for a lifestyle, not one for getting to A and B.

The Hyundai Inster was made for the moment, and though I do think it stumbles in some areas, I’m pretty confident in calling it my favorite EV since the MG4.

Hyundai Inster specs

Into the Inster

The Hyundai Inster achieves its slender shape by axing the middle seat in the second row and by offering a smaller-than-usual battery. The largest battery you’ll get is 49kWh, which isn’t a lot compared to other EVs, becoming both a blessing and burden depending on how you look at it (and where you live). You get less battery range off a single charge, sure, but at least the charging capacity is sufficient in the UK (at 73kW and 85kW max for the Inster 01 and Inster 02/Cross respectively) and impressive for the segment in Australia at 120kW (across all three models)

This car feels like it was built around an idea of “OK, how can we make this convenient?” for people living in densely populated areas – and being based on a petrol-engined car known as the Casper (which first debuted in 2021), Hyundai has had years to innovate on the small-but-functional design.

Despite its compact exterior, there’s a bounty of space in the Inster. Starting in the front, Hyundai has inserted several convenient sections for placing items, including a handy spot for your phone (for Android Auto/Apple CarPlay) and a dash-spanning shelf below the infotainment screen. There’s also a handy pocket down the center column and a wireless charging spot – though I can’t compliment the wireless charging for the usual reasons (wireless charging is often interrupted by the phone slipping slightly, and the phone is usually warmed to an annoying temperature).

The Inster doesn’t feature a center console between the driver and front-passenger seats, but I really don’t mind this – there’s so much space here that it’s ultimately a non-issue. There’s an armrest in the middle that folds up and down above the cupholder, which is attached to the driver’s seat; when raised, this creates an almost couch-like edge-to-edge seating area in the front row.

This exposes one of my favorite things about the Inster – roll the front seats all the way back, and you can effectively slide from one door to the other; handy if a park is too tight on the driver's side, or you want to dodge the rain more effectively when getting out. This is awesome.

The rear seats are equally convenient. Similar to Hyundai’s Ioniq 5, the rear row can slide back and forth on rails, which allows you to give rear occupants a more generous amount of legroom, or alternatively extend the trunk/boot at a moment’s notice. For such a small car, this is a game-changer, and though you’ll get more rear legroom with cars like the BYD Dolphin and MG4, neither of these offers the Inster’s unique flexibility. The trunk has a handy hatch in the floor that opens up even more space, but this is likely where you’ll put emergency tools and a wall-plug EV charger.

This practicality comes together to ultimately position the Inster as, limited range aside, a pretty good all-rounder. I took the Extended Range model out of my hometown of Sydney to the city of Newcastle (about 160km/100mi north), to visit my brother and six-year-old niece for her birthday. The car offered just the right amount of space to carry all the necessary things for her birthday party, child seat and all. Having charged overnight at my brother’s house whenever I was parked at it, and using the car for runabout trips on Saturday, I had enough range to get back to Sydney on Sunday (having left Friday) with 40% on my arrival home.

By saying all of that, I’m trying to drive home the point that the Inster is far more reliable than its size may imply. This car might be squishy if full, and it might handle bumps on the road a tad uncomfortably, but it’ll tackle trips out of town for the weekend easily. That is, if you have access to charging spots for your time away, be they overnight where you stay or at a DC charger. When charging, you won’t be charging too long, given the size of the battery. Its range isn’t its best aspect, sure, but it’s not bad, given the car’s efficiency and fast DC charging speed.

Stylistically, the Inster might look cute from all angles on the outside, but I believe its best-looking aspects are on the inside. Cheaper models come with a houndstooth-stitched fabric which I completely fell in love with, while artificial leather seats are standard with the Cross (the top model). On this occasion, I’m all for the cheaper model – houndstooth looks incredible, and it makes the interior feel like a comfortable couch at home.

Adding to the cute aesthetic, there are little details on the inside trim of the doors reminiscent of Phillips screws, and they just give the car an unmatched personality. The same can be said of the rim styling across all three variants (it's different from car to car) – it’s like they were put in place by an enormous screwdriver.

There’s also a generous amount of refinement to the operating system. Hyundai’s software still feels better to interact with than what you’ll find in similarly priced EVs. I’m not a big fan of Hyundai’s OS to begin with, having criticized the identical version found in the Kia EV5, but I can forgive it in a cheaper car, especially one with so much cute appeal and practicality.

Don’t like Hyundai’s OS? That’s okay, because the car offers wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The USB port for accessing these resides above a shelf on the passenger side of the front seats, giving you a handy place to put your phone while charging (it may also stir confusion, as this spot is quite far from the wireless charger).

The Inster also has physical buttons galore for climate control and switching tracks and radio modes, which is absolutely something I love. Too many cars axe physical buttons completely, so I’m honestly over the moon Hyundai has included them with the Inster.

Finally, driver assistance in Hyundai cars has felt particularly polished since the Ioniq 5 (released in 2021). Lane assistance is strong and well ahead of the Inster’s direct competitors, with physical buttons on the wheel for adjusting cruise.

There’s just so much to appreciate about the Inster – a cute aesthetic, a useful but small size, and a level of software refinement that’s unmatched in the entry-level EV segment. I don’t think any of its problems draw back its positives – but we should really talk about its troubling price point and feature disparity.

Yes, the Inster could be better

A major criticism levied against the Hyundai Inster is that it’s not priced well – but in my opinion, that’s highly dependent on the market. While the MG4 starts at £26,995 / AU$34,990 and the BYD Dolphin at £26,205 / AU$29,990, the Inster starts at £23,505 / AU$39,000. Price is therefore only a problem in some markets, a similarity it shares with the Chery Omoda E5 that I recently tested. However, keep in mind the UK has a slew of even cheaper EVs on the market – such as the Dacia Spring (£14,995), Leapmotor T03 (£15,995) and BYD Dolphin Surf (£18,650).

To be clear, I think the Inster is priced perfectly for the UK market. Its feature set, including its range, operating system, style and driver assistance tools, makes its asking price extremely attractive.

In Australia… I do wish the price was lower. These prices are indicative of RRP without drive-away pricing, and with that added you’re approaching the cost of much more feature-rich EVs.

Indeed, I think the MG4 is a better car all-around, with a nicer-feeling RWD drivetrain and a range of trims that cater to a wider market with different demands, but the Inster exists to be more convenient. I don’t believe it should necessarily be cheaper than the MG4, with how polished the car feels, but I do think Hyundai should be a little more realistic in my local market. That’s a lot of money for a car with only slightly more storage space than a Mini 3-door!

Moving on from pricing, I was a little disappointed in the driver’s seat adjustment. One of my shorter friends, when sitting in the seat, would have liked it to go up more, but unfortunately its manual adjustment could only go so high.

Additionally, it’s a bit odd that none of the trims include automatic seating. This isn’t a dealbreaker for the Inster, but with other affordable EVs offering this feature (at least on the more expensive trims – even if only for the driver’s seat, in some cases) it is on my wishlist for an Inster refresh. Also on that list would be wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, or at least transitioning the connection to USB-C.

At a more systemic level, I really would have liked the Inster to be RWD. I get it, car nuts don’t need to tell me, FWD is more cost-effective at scale – but this isn’t really a cheap car, right? As I stated earlier, it’s an area where the MG4 has an obvious advantage – the latter feels leaps and bounds better on the road and added acceleration with the MG4 is an added boon.

I don’t really have any other major points of criticism, other than it would have been nice to have a bird’s-eye view camera in the Extended Range/Inster 01 model – though these models have a capable reversing camera. Bird’s-eye is included in the Cross trim, but a lot of the other features in the Cross don’t really appeal to me, such as those fake leather seats I mentioned earlier (houndstooth adds so much more personality). An options pack to add things like the sunroof, heated seats and heated steering wheel could go a long way.

Should you buy a Hyundai Inster?

I love the Hyundai Inster – of those I’ve tested in 2025, it’s my favorite EV so far and it may even rise to be my favorite EV altogether. That being said, its small size is undeniably divisive and will make it both attractive to folks after a tiny yet practical car (such as those living in the city) and a non-starter for folks after a bigger daily driver.

I’d encourage you to consider the Inster if you’re shopping at the entry-level point of EVs. Hyundai’s cheapest mass-market EV meets its affordable Chinese rivals on price and (most features), going beyond with a more premium experience. It may lack some extra tech, but it makes up for this in charm and style.

If you’re shopping around for an EV at this price, I’d highly recommend the MG4 and its various trims for a nicer-feeling car on the road, or the BYD Dolphin if you want a more tech-packed car. Otherwise, if you can get a good price, the Hyundai Inster might just be the EV you’ve been waiting for.

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• Those located in Austin of San Fran’s Bay Area can join a waitlist
• Android users will be supported at a later date
• Tesla expands Robotaxi service area but puts safety driver in the driver’s seat

Tesla has taken to Elon Musk’s X social media platform to announce the fact that its Robotaxi smartphone app has now been opened up to anyone with an Apple iPhone, as the project moves beyond a carefully curated list of VIPs and trusted Tesla early adopters to the wider public.

Fresh off the back of recent news that the company was once again expanding its presence in Austin, Texas by increasing the size of its geofenced operating area and adding more cars to the fleet, Tesla says the ride-hailing app is now open to the public.

Currently, all iPhone users in the US can download the app and sign up to join a waitlist. But it's unclear how long it will take before users can hail a ride, whether or not the service extends beyond Austin to San Francisco or how many vehicles the company is currently running.

So far, Tesla has only publicly stated that it has increased the number of available cars by 50%, according to an X post in August this year.

Tesla also states that Android users will be able to download a dedicated Robotaxi app in the coming months.

Safety in the driver’s seat

Opening up the app to the public is clearly an indicator that Tesla is serious about rapidly expanding its service, but the company has been particularly cagey about numbers and achievements.

Earlier this week, Electrek reported that the company had moved its safety monitor, which sees a human employee tasked with hitting the kill switch if something goes wrong, from the passenger seat to behind the wheel.

Now Tesla has expanded its operating area beyond slow inner-city streets to faster sections of highway, it has clearly deemed it necessary to have an operator in the hot seat in case they have to take over during faster and more dangerous sections of road.

As Electrek points out, Tesla Robotaxi is just a "larger-scale Full Self-Driving (FSD) demonstration ride" right now, rather than a truly autonomous taxi service.

If you want one of those, it’s best to download the Waymo app, as it has more than 2,000 fully autonomous vehicles operating in six major cities and regions in the US... without anyone behind the wheel.

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