The Audi A3 just had a big update, and the plug-in hybrid is the star

Audi has updated its entire A3 range, from the Sportback and Sedan to the allstreet, S3 and RS 3. Highlights include a new curved panoramic display, reorganised driver-assistance tech and a much-improved e-hybrid that now offers up to 143 km of electric range and DC fast charging. Prices start at €31,850 for the A3 Sportback, with cars reaching dealers in mid-September 2026.

Gordon Murray Automotive is heading to the Goodwood Festival of Speed with a four-car showcase, led by the global public debut of the first customer T.50s Niki Lauda, which will run up the hill. It is joined by the S1 LM, which sold at auction for a record $20.63 million, the Le Mans GTR XP1 prototype and the first public showing of the T.33 Spider validation car. Three of the cars use GMA's naturally aspirated V12.

The Freelander name has returned, not as a Land Rover but as a standalone brand created by a Chery-JLR joint venture in China. The first model, the Freelander 8 First Edition, is an extended-range electric SUV (EREV) with around 560 hp, 221 km of electric-only range and a 1.5-litre petrol engine acting purely as a generator. It rides on an 800V platform with advanced off-road and driver-assistance tech, and is sold exclusively in China.

Maserati has created a one-off MCPura Cielo through its Fuoriserie programme to mark its centenary. The MCPura Cielo Tributo 1926 references the year Alfieri Maserati raced the Tipo 26, the first car to wear the Trident, and was delivered in Modena on the day the 2026 Mille Miglia passed through. It wears a Grigio Lamiera Matte finish with a tricolour racing livery and a reproduction of the original Tipo 26 badge.

Renault has revealed a midlife update for the Megane E-Tech, bringing a bolder new face, a larger 67kWh battery with up to 500 km of range and a peak DC charging speed of 165kW. The 220hp front-drive motor carries over unchanged, but the car gains 100kg and a 20mm height increase to house the bigger pack. An optional 22kW AC charger adds vehicle-to-load and vehicle-to-grid capability for the first time.

Xiaomi's YU7 GT, a 1,003 hp electric SUV, has completed what is claimed to be the world's first fully autonomous lap of the Nurburgring Nordschleife. With no driver on board, the car's software navigated the entire 20.8 km circuit in 10 minutes and 29.483 seconds. The lap is far slower than a human would manage in the same car, but the point was the achievement itself: a self-driving system handling the world's hardest track.

Jaguar Land Rover and Stellantis have signed a non-binding memorandum to explore building future Defender models on Stellantis platforms in the United States, potentially sharing architecture with Jeep. The plan would let JLR sidestep US import tariffs and grow in North America, its biggest market, while the company also pivots away from China. Both an SUV and a pickup are reportedly under consideration.

The European Commission is preparing countervailing duties on Chinese plug-in hybrids, according to Handelsblatt, extending the trade barriers it already applies to Chinese electric cars. Brands including BYD, Chery and SAIC are in scope. PHEVs currently face only the standard 10 percent import tariff, a gap Chinese makers exploited so successfully that BYD became Germany's best-selling plug-in hybrid brand in May 2026.

Porsche has revealed a one-of-one Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo created with Soho Home, the interiors brand of Soho House, through its Sonderwunsch programme. It is finished in bespoke Greek Street Green satin paint with a Truffle Brown leather cabin, burl wood trim and a variable-tint glass roof. The 952 hp electric estate premiered at Icons of Porsche at Silverstone on 20-21 June 2026, and only one was built.

McLaren is offering up to A$100,000, around €60,000, off selected Artura models in an Australian end-of-financial-year deal. The discount applies to existing stock of the twin-turbo V6 plug-in hybrid supercar, which makes close to 700 hp. Six-figure discounts on a McLaren are rare, and the move reflects a tougher market in which even exclusive performance brands are competing harder for buyers.

The 78th CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa takes place on 27 and 28 June 2026, with 70 GT3 cars from 10 manufacturers contesting the world's biggest GT race. Porsche leads the entry with 16 cars, ahead of Mercedes-AMG with 11. Drivers from 45 nations take part, including stars such as Valentino Rossi and Arthur Leclerc, while Lamborghini defends its title and debuts the new Temerario GT3 over 24 hours.

Hyundai has confirmed that a new generation i20 N is coming to Europe, powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine paired with a dual hybrid motor system expected to produce up to around 300hp. The car is explicitly aimed at the European market and is expected within the next two years, addressing the gap left by the departure of affordable petrol hot hatches such as the Ford Fiesta ST and the Renaultsport Clio.

Herbert Schnitzer, who with his brother Josef built Schnitzer Motorsport into the most successful BMW racing team in history, has died on his 85th birthday at his home in Freilassing. Schnitzer's victories include the 1999 Le Mans 24 Hours with the BMW V12 LMR, multiple touring car world titles, the 2012 DTM championship and repeated wins at the Nurburgring and Spa 24 Hours.

Alpine will give the development mule for its next-generation A110 a global public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed from 9 to 12 July, running it up the hillclimb each day. The third-generation A110 will be a fully electric sports car on Alpine's new Alpine Performance Platform, designed to beat today's best combustion rivals. The current petrol A110 is now in its final months of production.

Bugatti has teamed up with Japanese luxury golf maker Honma to create a range of Tourbillon-inspired golf clubs. The collection spans the Beres Super Premium and Tour World Premium lines plus a dedicated putter, with prices running from $3,200 up to $72,000, around €66,000, for the top 5 Star Beres set, which is limited to just 20 worldwide.Tourbillon-inspired golf clubs. The collection spans the Beres Super Premium and Tour World Premium lines plus a dedicated putter, with prices running from $3,200 to $72,000, roughly €66,000, for the top 5 Star Beres set, which is limited to just 20 worldwide.

Maserati's Bottegafuoriserie bespoke division is developing a limited-production front-engined GT powered by the Nettuno V6, fitted with a manual gearbox and built in collaboration with Alfa Romeo. The project has been confirmed by Cristiano Fiorio, who oversees Bottegafuoriserie, and engineering chief Davide Danesin, who said the manual transmission suits the mechanical and classical character the car is meant to embody. Production will be strictly limited, and it represents Maserati's most pointed statement yet that driver engagement, not electrification, is at the heart of what the brand wants to stand for.

Porsche CEO Michael Leiters is pushing to finalise a second cost-cutting package before the factory holidays in July. The plan involves cutting 1,900 jobs over the coming years, on top of 2,000 temporary workers let go last year, and running production below the roughly 280,000 cars Porsche sold previously. Squeezed by tariffs and weak demand in China, Leiters says Porsche must "make money with fewer cars."

Aston Martin CEO Adrian Hallmark has confirmed a major strategic shift: rather than chasing 10,000 annual sales, the brand will deliberately cap production at 6,500 to 7,000 cars a year to protect its exclusivity, cutting overhead by around 30 percent. One of its three front-engined GT models will be dropped, the remaining cars gain more variants, the twin-turbo V12 is safe until at least 2035, and plug-in hybrid development has been shelved.

Toyota's new CEO Kenta Kon, who arrived from the finance side of the business in June, has launched a war on waste and singled out the company's sprawling model range. He pointed to the growing number of specifications and variants as a source of inefficiency. Toyota offers 32 models in the US alone, plus 14 Lexus models, and more than 100 vehicles globally. The move comes after a sharp profit decline.

South Africa's Cape Advanced Vehicles, a GT40 specialist since 1999, has revealed the GT MkII, a spiritual successor to the Ford GT40 rather than a straight replica. It pairs a twin-supercharged 4.2-litre Audi V8 making 789 hp with all-wheel drive, an R8-derived platform and the choice of an automated, dual-clutch or full manual gearbox. It hits 100 km/h in 3.0 seconds and tops 328 km/h. Just 40 will be built as a 60th Anniversary Edition.

A newly surfaced Ferrari patent describes an electronic H-pattern shifter, a gated lever like the brand's classic open-gate manuals, that controls a modern automatic transmission by wire. There is no mechanical linkage: moving the lever sends an electronic signal to select gears. It is a patent rather than a confirmed product, but it points to Ferrari trying to recreate the feel of a manual without giving up the modern automatic.

The FIA World Endurance Championship has confirmed Silverstone's return for 2027, ending an eight-year absence. The 6 Hours of Silverstone takes place on 25 April 2027 as the third round of an expanded nine-race calendar, the longest WEC season since 2017. The British round joins Hypercar entries from Ferrari, Toyota, Aston Martin and newcomers Ford and McLaren.

From 1 July 2026, Belgium's immediate traffic fines, the on-the-spot penalties police issue without going to court, increase by 10 percent. A basic speeding fine in a 50 km/h zone rises from €58 to €64 plus the administration fee. The Belgian government announced the increase in December, confirmed by the federal mobility department. In 2025, traffic fines generated roughly €600 million from more than 10 million recorded violations.

MINI gave its Paul Smith Cabrio Edition a Belgian premiere in Antwerp on 18 June, bringing the British designer's playful stripes, Nottingham Green accents and hidden details to the open-top MINI. The Paul Smith Edition spans the full range, from three- and five-door Coopers to the Cabrio and electric versions, with Belgian prices starting at €34,430.

Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa has confirmed the group is in talks with two potential partners to help turn around its struggling luxury brand Maserati. The partners could bring technology and development expertise, with Chinese firms Huawei and JAC Motors reportedly in the frame. Maserati is not for sale, and a decision on the partnership is expected in December.