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Boutique German sports car maker Wiesmann is making a comeback with a new hand-built model aimed at real enthusiasts, to be revealed at Pebble Beach in late August 2026. The pitch is deliberately analog: low weight, a driver-focused feel, no touchscreen, and an interior of leather and machined aluminium, with every car fully customised alongside its owner. Dutchman Jasper den Dopper, formerly of Spyker, has been appointed CTO to lead engineering and build a service network. The engine has not been revealed.

BYD is offering full refunds to 1,265 customers in Australia who received 2025-built cars while believing they had bought 2026 models. BYD says the factory-exit date was mistakenly used instead of the actual build date. Buyers were first offered around 1,100 Australian dollars, but after complaints and media scrutiny BYD switched to full refunds, or a trade for a genuine 2026 car at the same price. BYD insists the vehicles are materially identical but admits the mix-up could affect resale value.

California's Rezvani Engineering, with Italian design house Studio Carrozzi, has launched Quick Shift, a 25,000 dollar kit that adds a classic metal gated H-pattern shifter to modern dual-clutch supercars, with no clutch pedal. Slotting the metal ball into a gate sends electronic commands to the stock DCT, keeping the 0.1-second shifts and rev-matching, and it is fully reversible. It launches first for the Ferrari 458, 488, F12 and GTC4 Lusso, with the C8 Corvette and Lamborghinis in development.

Volkswagen has revealed the all-new ID. Cross, a compact electric SUV on the MEB+ platform and the crossover sibling of the ID. Polo. It is front-wheel drive only, with 116, 135 or 211 hp, a 37 kWh or 52 kWh battery and up to around 436 km of WLTP range. At 4.15 metres it offers a 475-litre boot plus a 25-litre frunk. Prices start at 27,990 euro for the entry Trend, arriving late 2026, with German advance sales opening on 15 July.

Lucid Motors shares crashed by more than 55% after a report claimed the EV maker was weighing Chapter 11 bankruptcy or going private, triggering multiple trading halts. Lucid denied it, calling the rumours completely false and saying it has enough liquidity well into next year with no special board committee formed. It reported around 714 million dollars in cash and about 3.2 billion in total liquidity at the end of Q1 2026, backed by Saudi Arabia's PIF. The deeper problem remains weak demand.

MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi wants to earn his Nurburgring Nordschleife permit before the end of 2026 so he can race the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring in a GT3 car in 2027, following Max Verstappen's example. The 47-year-old nine-time world champion already races GT3 for BMW M Team WRT and would earn the permit through NLS endurance rounds. Calendar clashes with his other commitments are the main obstacle.

US firm Rezvani has teased the Dune, an off-road supercar based on the Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato but fitted with a supercharged V10 producing 800 hp, nearly 200 hp more than the Sterrato. It adds a full carbon-fibre body, raised ground clearance, extra LED lighting, a roof air intake and roof rails. Just 7 will be built worldwide, with reservations from around 1,300 euro and a much higher final price. The official reveal is set for the end of July 2026.

The Hesbaye Historic Festival returns on 22 and 23 August 2026 at the Kasteel van Veulen, hosting the BEHVA national meeting alongside pre-war races, a rally revival with Belgian legends, off-road demos, live music and thousands of classic cars and bikes. Highlights include Europe's biggest Mustang Museum, over 100 pre-1940 vehicles and the new Autosport Hesbaye Junior Trophy. AutoNext's media partner Gocar.be will be on site covering the action.

Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume has confirmed the group is looking at cutting a further 50,000 jobs on top of the roughly 50,000 already agreed, taking the potential total towards 100,000. In an internal memo he said another 50,000 roles could theoretically go while VW evaluates the necessity and feasibility across regions and brands. He blamed a 20% cost disadvantage, tariffs and Chinese competition, and floated defence production or assembling Chinese-designed VWs as alternatives to closures. Unions have rejected the cuts.