News

Polestar will leave the US market after the 2027 model year after the US Department of Commerce denied it authorization under the Connected Vehicle Rule, which restricts the sale of cars tied to China. The Geely-owned brand will sell remaining Polestar 3 and 4 stock and keep supporting existing owners, but stops new sales. Europe already accounts for close to 80 percent of its sales, and Polestar is now focusing its growth there and in markets like Canada, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

The FIA has declared the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix a heat hazard, the first race to get the designation this year, as a major heatwave grips Europe. The rule, triggered when temperatures are forecast above 31C, lets drivers wear liquid-cooled vests, while those who decline must add 5 kg of ballast to their cars. It was introduced after the brutal 2023 Qatar Grand Prix.

Lamborghini has teased a more hardcore Urus SE Performante on social media. The teaser hints at extra carbon aerodynamics, including a rear gurney flap and roof spoiler, plus a sharper chassis setup and a likely small power bump over the plug-in hybrid Urus SE, which already produces 789 hp from its twin-turbo V8 and electric motor. A full reveal is expected soon.

Groupe Pautric has been named the official Bovensiepen distributor in Belgium. The family-owned group, France's biggest BMW distributor and the former importer of ALPINA, will offer the new brand from the Bovensiepen family, including the limited Zagato grand coupe and the 800 hp 05 GT super-estate. Deliveries of the 05 GT are expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Maserati has dramatically cut the prices of its electric GT twins. The GranTurismo Folgore now starts at €159,200, down from €199,250, and the GranCabrio Folgore at €169,500, down from €208,250, savings of around €40,000 each. The drop-top remains the only four-seat electric GT convertible on the market, and it is one of the best-looking electric cars money can buy.

Maserati has cut the price of its electric Grecale Folgore SUV to €98,700, down €11,250 from the €109,950 it cost before the facelift. It is a clear move to make the Trident's electric SUV more competitive and get more of them onto the road, and it brings a genuinely stylish, fast electric SUV under the symbolic €100,000 mark.

Belgium's government auction service, Fin Shop, is selling 14 prestige cars at a public sale on 2 July 2026 in Bornem. The list includes a Ferrari F430 and 458 Italia, a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Versace (one of just 20) and a Gallardo Spyder, a Porsche 911 Turbo, an Aston Martin DB9 and a Bentley Arnage. The cars sat unused in a garage for around ten years, so buyers should inspect carefully. Viewing is 29-30 June, and the sale is open to private buyers.

Footballer Toby Alderweireld, former cyclocross world champion Niels Albert and TV presenter Ruben Van Gucht are teaming up to race a Mazda MX-5 in the 24 Hours of Zolder on 29-30 August 2026. The celebrity team, run by MSTC with journalist-racer Alain De Jong and mentored by seven-time Zolder winner Bert Longin, is backed by Mazda Belgium.

Porsche has revealed the 911 GT4 R, its first GT4 customer racing car based on the 911 rather than the Cayman. It succeeds the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, of which more than 1,500 were built, as the combustion Cayman is phased out ahead of the model going electric. The car uses a 4.0-litre flat-six from the 911 Cup good for 520 hp, restricted to around 430 hp under Balance of Performance rules, and races from the 2027 season.