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According to multiple reports, Volkswagen Group is preparing the biggest restructuring in its 89-year history. The plan reportedly includes cutting the number of models across its brands, from Volkswagen and Audi to Porsche, Skoda, Cupra, Bentley and Lamborghini, by up to half, alongside up to 100,000 job cuts and the closure of four German plants: VW's Hanover, Zwickau and Emden sites plus Audi's Neckarsulm. The drivers are Chinese competition, US tariffs, tighter regulation and falling European demand. Q1 2026 net profit fell 28% to 1.56 billion euro. These remain reported plans under discussion, not confirmed decisions.

British modifier Urban Automotive marked its 10th consecutive year at the Goodwood Festival of Speed by revealing the Widetrack Avontur, a Defender pickup conversion based on the Defender 110 Hard Top commercial. It loses its rear doors and roof section to become a two-door truck with an exposed carbon-fibre bed, a modular utility rail, an integrated bottle holder and a working tailgate, plus a bespoke rollover structure, wide fender extensions and 23-inch wheels, using over 36 custom parts. Pricing is not yet official, with expressions of interest now open. Urban also showed a Defender Octa styling program and builds based on the Cullinan, Urus SE, G-Class and Range Rover.

LEGO has revealed a new Icons set recreating the Jaguar E-Type roadster, set number 11381, with 1,673 pieces and a price of 139.99 euro. Finished in British Racing Green, it features opening doors, bonnet and boot, a retractable fabric-style roof, classic wire-wheel styling and a tool kit in the boot, with mostly printed details rather than stickers. It joins LEGO's Icons car line and goes on sale on 1 August 2026.

XPeng is bringing its budget Mona sub-brand to Europe with the L03, a compact electric SUV-coupe with styling led by former Ferrari designer Juanma Lopez. It offers 56 kWh or 69 kWh LFP batteries for around 525 to 625 km of range on China's CLTC cycle, a 245 hp single motor and a slippery 0.228 drag coefficient, plus XPeng's in-house Turing AI chips and camera-only assisted driving. A full reveal lands on 16 July 2026, with a European launch planned for 2026 at a price meant to sit below the G6 (which starts at 41,490 euro). European pricing is not yet confirmed.

MG has revealed the GO! concept at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, a compact five-door electric supermini that revives the cheeky, affordable spirit of cars like the MG ZR. Penned by design director Carl Gotham's team, it borrows cues from the MGB GT, Metro Turbo and 6R4 rally car while keeping a modern, budget-EV brief. A production version is confirmed for 2027, possibly badged MG2, and it will square up to the Renault 5, MINI Cooper E, VW ID. Polo, Citroen e-C3, BYD Atto 1 and Honda Super One. MG has not yet revealed the battery, power or price.

Denza, BYD's premium sub-brand, has revealed the Bao 5, its first SUV for Europe and a rugged, ladder-frame plug-in hybrid off-roader aimed squarely at the Land Rover Defender. Its Dual Mode Off-road system combines two electric motors and a 1.5-litre petrol engine for 544 hp and 0-100 km/h in 4.8 seconds. A 31.8 kWh battery gives around 90 km of electric range, with a combined 864 km total. Prices start at 69,500 pounds, with European orders opening this summer and deliveries in Q4.

Belgium is planning to introduce a mandatory road vignette from 1 May 2027 for cars and vans using its main roads, both motorways and regional roads. The annual vignette would cost between 90 and 125 euro, with shorter-term options of roughly 10 to 20 euro required by EU rules. Because those same rules ban a foreigners-only charge, Belgian drivers will have to pay it too, on top of the existing annual road tax. The aim is to make foreign road users contribute.

DS Automobiles has revealed the N°7, a new premium compact SUV built on the STLA Medium platform and focused on comfort and refinement. E-TENSE electric versions offer 230, 245 or 350 hp, with two French-made batteries of 73.7 or 97.2 kWh giving up to 740 km of WLTP range and 20-80 percent charging in around 27 minutes, plus a 145 hp hybrid. Inside there is Nappa leather, Alcantara, wood, 14-speaker audio and massaging seats. Prices in France run from around 44,000 to 77,500 euro, with deliveries from late 2026.

AIdoptation, a technology company from Sint-Truiden in Belgian Limburg, says it is the first in Europe allowed to test a Level 4 self-driving car on public motorways. Its system is fitted to an electric Maserati GranTurismo Folgore, running a 100 km route on the E313 and E314 highways with a professional safety driver aboard to intervene if needed. Unlike most self-driving projects, which focus on low-speed city driving, AIdoptation is tackling motorway speeds of 120 km/h. Engineer Louis Joris calls it a massive milestone.