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The manual gearbox is worth keeping, and not out of nostalgia. It remains the one mechanical link between a driver's intent and the car's behaviour that neither automation nor electrification has replaced, and that is reason enough to defend it. Automatics have already won on speed, efficiency and safety, but none of that was ever the whole argument for driving in the first place.

Some sports cars get a grand send-off. This one is slipping away almost unnoticed. Our AutoNext Car of the Week is a 2022 BMW Z4 sDrive20i M Sport, finished in black over anthracite and available at VDJ-Automotive in Grobbendonk with just 42,081 km from one owner. BMW has ended the Z4 with no successor announced, which makes this rear-wheel-drive roadster one of the last of its kind.

Nissan has reportedly held talks with China's Chery about building cars at its Sunderland plant in the UK, according to the Financial Times. The two are said to have signed a non-binding memorandum to study producing Omoda and Jaecoo brand vehicles there. With the plant running at around 50 percent capacity and employing about 6,000 workers, sharing it could spread fixed costs without necessarily cutting jobs. Sources caution a deal may not happen, and Nissan has talked to others too.

Stellantis has reshuffled its European leadership from 1 July 2026. Santo Ficili now serves as CEO of Maserati on top of his existing Alfa Romeo role, putting both Italian premium brands under one leader. Luca Napolitano takes charge of Stellantis &You Sales and Services, and both report to Emanuele Cappellano, COO for Enlarged Europe. The changes follow the departure of Jean-Philippe Imparato, who leaves Stellantis after 36 years.

Callum Design has followed up its reimagined Jaguar XJ220 with a track-focused GT1 version in vivid yellow, complete with a big front splitter, canards, side skirts and a huge rear wing. The road concept wears Spa Silver, the original's launch colour, with modern LED lights replacing the flip-up units. Crucially, Callum says it could build these on real XJ220s, but it needs an existing owner willing to donate their car. It remains a design study, with a fuller reveal expected around October.

Callum Design, the studio of former Jaguar design boss Ian Callum, has reimagined the iconic Jaguar XJ220 for a modern era. It sharpens the haunches and adds a stronger rear slope while keeping signature touches like the egg-shaped side windows and the air ducts along the flanks. For now it is a design study showcasing what the firm can do, with no concrete plans for a road car. A full reveal is expected in the coming months, likely around the original's 35th anniversary in October.

Mitsubishi's new president Keisuke Kishiura has said he would love to see the company build a car like the Lancer Evo again, calling the Evo, Galant and Diamante treasures, and dreaming of a return to the World Rally Championship. But he offered no timeline, powertrain or specifications, and stressed nothing is planned. With Mitsubishi focused on SUVs and electrified models and leaning on cost-sharing with Nissan and Renault, a new Evo remains firmly in dream territory.

Ford has fired up the engine of its new top-class Le Mans Hypercar for the first time, choosing 4 July, America's 250th Independence Day, to do it. The car uses a naturally aspirated 5.4-litre V8 derived from the Mustang Dark Horse R, GT4 and GT3 programmes, paired with a hybrid system. On-track testing starts in August 2026, ahead of a full FIA WEC campaign and a 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans debut, where Ford joins Ferrari, Toyota, BMW, Cadillac and more.

US federal authorities have seized a fleet of luxury assets from Miles Guo, the exiled Chinese businessman sentenced to 30 years in prison for leading a fraud worth more than 1 billion dollars. Now in federal custody are a Bugatti Chiron, a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ valued at over 832,000 dollars, a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a 2 million dollar yacht and a 26.5 million dollar New Jersey mansion. They form part of some 889 million dollars in proceeds forfeited to the government.