News

American carmakers have asked Congress for a permanent ban on Chinese connected vehicles before the session ends on 3 January. Waymo meanwhile runs its newest robotaxi cities on a Zeekr built in Ningbo, imported as a bodyshell and fitted with its electronics in Arizona. More than 3,200 chassis have already landed.

Jensen International has revived the Jensen Interceptor as the track-only GTX, 60 years after the 1966 original. It uses a supercharged 6.8-litre V8 built by Late Model Engines, making 960 hp as standard and up to 1,200 hp with more than 1,491 Nm, paired to a Samsonas six-speed sequential manual that can be shifted by lever or paddles. With a hand-formed aluminium body, an FIA cage and full motorsport hardware, the GTX is a proof of concept for road-going Jensens to come, though price, weight and production numbers are not yet confirmed.

American luxury EV maker Lucid is entering the French market through an operational partnership with Emil Frey France, one of the country's largest automotive groups. Lucid keeps control of its brand and commercial strategy through its own import organisation, while Emil Frey provides operational support, and the Lucid Air and Gravity will be shown to French buyers for the first time at the Paris Motor Show in October. It is a smart, low-risk way for a newcomer to enter a crowded premium market.

Formula 1 has agreed to cut the maximum grand prix distance from 305 km to 290 km in 2027, a change Motorsport.com reports went to the teams by email and still needs World Motorsport Council ratification. The reason is fuel: the power split moves to 58:42 in favour of the combustion engine, and the tank cannot grow to match. It would be the sport's first shortening since 1958.

WirtschaftsWoche reports that Volkswagen's management board has already approved a plan to phase out Seat by the end of 2029, with the proposal due before the supervisory board on Friday. Cupra, created out of Seat's performance badge in 2018, sold 328,800 cars last year against Seat's 257,400. Volkswagen declines to comment, and Seat says no decision has been taken.

Formula 1 celebrated the 20th anniversary of Pixar's Cars at the Italian Grand Prix, with a physical Lightning McQueen car turning a lap of Monza and the Mercedes-AMG safety car running a special Cars-inspired livery for the weekend. It is part of an expanded F1 and Disney “Fuel the Magic” partnership, now extended through the end of 2028, and it delighted fans, not least Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson, a well-known Lightning McQueen superfan.

Horse Powertrain has revealed the 3DHT200, a hybrid drive unit that packs 13 components into one housing and, the company says, delivers up to 4,920 Nm at the wheels. Horse is 45 percent Renault, 45 percent Geely and 10 percent Aramco. Its new unit debuts on the Geely Galaxy Cruiser 700, a 1,128 PS off-roader Geely is bringing to Europe from 2028.

Apple's new chief executive John Ternus took over from Tim Cook on 1 September 2026. He is an amateur racer who, according to the Wall Street Journal, laps Laguna Seca in under 1 minute 40 seconds and owns one of the 77 Porsche 935s built in 2019. That car has 700 PS, is not road legal, and was unveiled at the very circuit he drives it on.

Australians registered 108,760 new vehicles in August 2026 and 24.9% of them were electric, the first month in which EVs outsold petrol, diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars. The growth came almost entirely from Chinese brands and Tesla, with Geely up 1,023% and Zeekr up 2,309% while Volkswagen fell 38%. Chinese-built cars enter Australia duty-free, which Europe cannot say.