News

Some electric cars are appliances. This one is an event. This week's AutoNext Car of the Week is a 2022 Audi e-tron GT quattro, finished in silver with a black leather interior and available at MIG Motors in Aalter with 52,479 km on the clock. It shares its bones with the Porsche Taycan, costs far less than one second hand, and to our eyes it is the better looking car.

Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume is reportedly aiming to cut up to 100,000 jobs over the coming years, according to Manager Magazin. The figure combines 50,000 previously planned losses with around 50,000 further redundancies, and possible closures of plants in Emden, Zwickau, Hanover and Audi's Neckarsulm site are said to be on the table. The pressure comes from Chinese rivals and lost profits in China. Blume reportedly told shareholders: "Never before was the risk so great."

Renault has confirmed that the Renault 4 and Renault 5 will receive updated Gen 2 Evo electric motors before the end of 2026, or in early 2027 at the latest. The upgrade targets the inverter and reducers for improved efficiency and power output, following the same technology already debuting in the new Twingo. It arrives just as rivals including the Volkswagen ID Polo and Skoda Epiq enter the small EV segment with competitive range figures.

Hyundai has revealed the eighth-generation Avante, the compact sedan sold in North America as the Elantra. It adopts the brand's Art of Steel design language with styling cues drawn from the flagship Grandeur, grows in every dimension and gains a high-tech cabin. Engines include a 147 hp 2.0-litre petrol and a 155 hp hybrid. It launches in South Korea later in 2026 and reaches the US as the 2027 Elantra.

McMurtry will fully reveal the production form of its Speirling PURE next week, the electric, fan-powered hyper track car that has set records at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Top Gear test track. The production car uses 95 percent new components versus the prototypes, with a focus on usability and ease of ownership. Built in the Cotswolds, it is capped at 100 examples, with first customer deliveries beginning later in 2026.

Polestar will leave the US market after the 2027 model year after the US Department of Commerce denied it authorization under the Connected Vehicle Rule, which restricts the sale of cars tied to China. The Geely-owned brand will sell remaining Polestar 3 and 4 stock and keep supporting existing owners, but stops new sales. Europe already accounts for close to 80 percent of its sales, and Polestar is now focusing its growth there and in markets like Canada, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

The FIA has declared the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix a heat hazard, the first race to get the designation this year, as a major heatwave grips Europe. The rule, triggered when temperatures are forecast above 31C, lets drivers wear liquid-cooled vests, while those who decline must add 5 kg of ballast to their cars. It was introduced after the brutal 2023 Qatar Grand Prix.

Lamborghini has teased a more hardcore Urus SE Performante on social media. The teaser hints at extra carbon aerodynamics, including a rear gurney flap and roof spoiler, plus a sharper chassis setup and a likely small power bump over the plug-in hybrid Urus SE, which already produces 789 hp from its twin-turbo V8 and electric motor. A full reveal is expected soon.

Groupe Pautric has been named the official Bovensiepen distributor in Belgium. The family-owned group, France's biggest BMW distributor and the former importer of ALPINA, will offer the new brand from the Bovensiepen family, including the limited Zagato grand coupe and the 800 hp 05 GT super-estate. Deliveries of the 05 GT are expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Maserati has dramatically cut the prices of its electric GT twins. The GranTurismo Folgore now starts at €159,200, down from €199,250, and the GranCabrio Folgore at €169,500, down from €208,250, savings of around €40,000 each. The drop-top remains the only four-seat electric GT convertible on the market, and it is one of the best-looking electric cars money can buy.

Maserati has cut the price of its electric Grecale Folgore SUV to €98,700, down €11,250 from the €109,950 it cost before the facelift. It is a clear move to make the Trident's electric SUV more competitive and get more of them onto the road, and it brings a genuinely stylish, fast electric SUV under the symbolic €100,000 mark.

Belgium's government auction service, Fin Shop, is selling 14 prestige cars at a public sale on 2 July 2026 in Bornem. The list includes a Ferrari F430 and 458 Italia, a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Versace (one of just 20) and a Gallardo Spyder, a Porsche 911 Turbo, an Aston Martin DB9 and a Bentley Arnage. The cars sat unused in a garage for around ten years, so buyers should inspect carefully. Viewing is 29-30 June, and the sale is open to private buyers.