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Lamborghini has handed a Temerario to the Italian State Police, the sixth car in a partnership that began with a Gallardo in 2004. The 920 hp hybrid will be used for emergency organ and medical transport alongside the Huracán and Urus Performante already in service. Across more than twenty years the fleet has run over 200 organ missions and appeared at more than 1,500 road safety events.

Xiaomi Auto confirmed at IFA Berlin that it will start selling cars in Germany and other European markets in 2027, and signed memorandums with eight German dealer groups to build its retail and after-sales network. The list includes Emil Frey, Europe's largest dealer group, which announced a separate distribution deal with Lucid in France a day earlier, plus Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari retailers with more than a century of trading behind them.

Pierre Gasly has lost his Monaco Grand Prix podium for the second time, 89 days after the race. The FIA's International Court of Appeal reinstated the pitlane speeding penalties that stewards had rescinded in June, all of it stemming from a 77-centimetre error in the pitlane timing loops. Isack Hadjar inherits third, and Alpine loses nine championship points.

American carmakers have asked Congress for a permanent ban on Chinese connected vehicles before the session ends on 3 January. Waymo meanwhile runs its newest robotaxi cities on a Zeekr built in Ningbo, imported as a bodyshell and fitted with its electronics in Arizona. More than 3,200 chassis have already landed.

Jensen International has revived the Jensen Interceptor as the track-only GTX, 60 years after the 1966 original. It uses a supercharged 6.8-litre V8 built by Late Model Engines, making 960 hp as standard and up to 1,200 hp with more than 1,491 Nm, paired to a Samsonas six-speed sequential manual that can be shifted by lever or paddles. With a hand-formed aluminium body, an FIA cage and full motorsport hardware, the GTX is a proof of concept for road-going Jensens to come, though price, weight and production numbers are not yet confirmed.

American luxury EV maker Lucid is entering the French market through an operational partnership with Emil Frey France, one of the country's largest automotive groups. Lucid keeps control of its brand and commercial strategy through its own import organisation, while Emil Frey provides operational support, and the Lucid Air and Gravity will be shown to French buyers for the first time at the Paris Motor Show in October. It is a smart, low-risk way for a newcomer to enter a crowded premium market.

Formula 1 has agreed to cut the maximum grand prix distance from 305 km to 290 km in 2027, a change Motorsport.com reports went to the teams by email and still needs World Motorsport Council ratification. The reason is fuel: the power split moves to 58:42 in favour of the combustion engine, and the tank cannot grow to match. It would be the sport's first shortening since 1958.

WirtschaftsWoche reports that Volkswagen's management board has already approved a plan to phase out Seat by the end of 2029, with the proposal due before the supervisory board on Friday. Cupra, created out of Seat's performance badge in 2018, sold 328,800 cars last year against Seat's 257,400. Volkswagen declines to comment, and Seat says no decision has been taken.

Formula 1 celebrated the 20th anniversary of Pixar's Cars at the Italian Grand Prix, with a physical Lightning McQueen car turning a lap of Monza and the Mercedes-AMG safety car running a special Cars-inspired livery for the weekend. It is part of an expanded F1 and Disney “Fuel the Magic” partnership, now extended through the end of 2028, and it delighted fans, not least Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson, a well-known Lightning McQueen superfan.