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From 7 July 2026, a fresh set of safety features is mandatory on all new passenger cars and vans registered in the EU, under the General Safety Regulation. They include advanced emergency braking that detects cyclists and pedestrians, infrared driver-distraction monitoring that watches your eyes and yawning, improved forward visibility, new worn-tyre testing and expanded safety glass. The rules are not retroactive, so existing cars are unaffected, but they have drawn criticism over cost and surveillance.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is now one of the biggest motoring events in Europe, but it began in 1993 as a modest idea by the Duke of Richmond, the first motorsport gathering at Goodwood since the circuit closed in 1966. Organisers expected around 200 guests and got more than 25,000. It has since grown from a one-day event into a four-day spectacle featuring the famous hillclimb, a rally stage and an off-road arena, hosting F1, WRC, MotoGP and endurance stars plus countless world debuts.

BYD's sporty Denza sub-brand will give the all-electric Denza Z its world debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, in Coupe and hardcore Racing forms. The Coupe shares the earlier Z Spider's three-motor powertrain, good for around 1,500 hp and a 350 km/h top speed, yet keeps 2+2 seating and a proper boot. The Racing version adds a dramatic carbon-fibre aero package. Denza also brings its BAO5 off-road SUV to Europe for the first time.

The European Commission is reportedly exploring a system that would make new cars automatically brake when they exceed the speed limit, potentially from 2030. Using traffic-sign recognition and GPS data to read the limit, it would go beyond today's warning-only speed assistance to actively intervene. It remains an early-stage investigation, not confirmed law, and faces big hurdles around reliability and driver acceptance, given how often people already switch off existing speed warnings.

BMW's M3 Touring 24H race car started life as an April Fools' joke, a rendering of a racing estate that was never meant to exist. The overwhelming fan reaction pushed BMW to actually build it, targeting the balance of its M4 GT3, and enter it at the Nurburgring 24 Hours. Running on Yokohama tyres in the experimental class, it ran in the top ten and even hunted down works GT3 cars in the hands of its drivers, a genuine internet dream turned real.

The Leapmotor B03X, a compact electric crossover, is now on sale in Europe from just 23,995 euro, a price that already includes the EU's import tariffs on Chinese-built cars. Built by Leapmotor, part of the Stellantis group, it offers 176 or 197 hp, LFP batteries of 39.8 or 53.0 kWh, up to 382 km of WLTP range and 30-80 percent fast charging in around 16 minutes. Top trims run to 26,995 and 28,495 euro.

Bentley has announced that its important new fourth model line will be called Torcal, named after El Torcal de Antequera, a dramatic limestone landscape in Andalusia, Spain, with the name rooted in the Latin torquere, to twist, a nod to torque. It joins the Continental GT, Flying Spur and Bentayga, and is widely expected to be Bentley's first electric car. The full reveal takes place on 23 September 2026 in London, with the Crewe-built model teased but its specifications not yet confirmed.

Hennessey has revealed the Venom F5-M, a hypercar that sends 2,031 hp from its twin-turbo 6.6-litre V8 through a genuine gated six-speed manual, making it the world's most powerful manual car. Fitting the stick required remapping the engine for smoother, more graduated power delivery to keep the rear tyres in check. Just 12 examples of the F5-M Roadster will be built at 2.65 million dollars each, all already sold, and it makes its production debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

A BMW M2 fitted with the new M Performance Track Kit has lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7:25.068, half a second faster than the more hardcore M2 CS. The TUV Rheinland-verified time was set on 22 May 2026 by BMW M test engineer Jorg Weidinger in demanding conditions, with high temperatures and oil on track. The Track Kit adds an adjustable splitter, aero flicks, a swan-neck rear wing and BMW's first road-approved motorsport coilover suspension.