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smart has confirmed the #2 will make its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show in October 2026. It is a fully electric two-seat city car with the short wheels-on-corners proportions of the original fortwo, built on the Electric Compact Architecture with a next-generation tridion safety cage. It is currently completing a global test programme covering wind tunnel, acoustic chamber and brutal road testing. No powertrain, battery or range figures have been released.

The 2026 Belgian Grand Prix drew a record 400,000 fans to Spa-Francorchamps across the weekend, the largest crowd in the circuit's Formula 1 history and 11,000 up on 2025. Attendance has more than doubled since 2015. Kimi Antonelli won the race on 19 July ahead of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. Under the rotation deal, 2027 will be Spa's last race until 2029.

Mercedes has revealed the updated Maybach GLS, powered by an electrified V8 biturbo producing 612 hp plus a 23 hp boost and 850 Nm, output the brand says matches a V12. It gains an illuminated grille, 23-inch wheels with self-levelling star badges, a new MBUX Superscreen, rear massage seats that now reach the calves and a 15-speaker Burmester system. Order books open in the US and Europe at the end of July 2026.

Range Rover has revealed a bespoke 1993 Range Rover Classic finished to mirror the new SV Ultra, in Titan Silver with a matching Orchid White and Cinder Grey interior. The restoration took more than 2,000 hours and marks the first use of Ultrafabrics in a Classic. It is being sold as a matched pair with the first US-market SV Ultra at RM Sotheby's Monterey auction on 14 August.

Cyril Blais, team principal of the Citroen Racing Formula E Team, has died aged 46, days before the Tokyo E-Prix. One of the most respected engineers in the paddock, he worked his way from Formula 3 race engineer to team principal, and contributed to Formula E's Gen4 development. Tributes have come from Citroen and the FIA. No cause of death has been given, and the family has asked for privacy.

Tesla plans to raise output at its Gruenheide plant near Berlin to up to 7,500 cars a week, around 375,000 a year, during the 2026 financial year, citing recovering demand and improving profits. The site, which builds the Model Y exclusively and supplies more than 30 markets, made about 202,000 cars in 2025. Tesla wants to add 3,500 jobs to the roughly 11,000 already there and integrate the full value chain, from battery cells to finished cars.

The Flemish and federal governments have agreed a package worth up to 119 million euro to secure the future of Volvo Car Gent, covering training, green transition and research support. The money is conditional and only paid once Volvo delivers its promised investments. Volvo has signalled the plant could also assemble other Geely brands such as Polestar, Lynk & Co and Zeekr. Around 6,500 people work at the site.

BYD has revealed the 8 Series Tang, a large electric SUV claiming more than 800 km of range. A permanent-magnet motor peaks at 402 hp, with a 250 km/h top speed and a second-generation Blade LFP battery. It measures 5,045 mm long on a 2,950 mm wheelbase, with five and seven-seat versions filed, and launches in China in the second half of 2026. Pricing is not announced and Europe is not confirmed.

Ford Racing has launched the FP800S Bronze Package, an official upgrade kit that takes the 2024 to 2026 Mustang GT to 810 hp and around 834 Nm using a Gen 6 3.0-litre Whipple supercharger. The kit costs 18,500 dollars, with dealer fitting adding roughly 5,000 dollars, and it keeps a three-year Ford Racing warranty when installed by an approved technician. It is sold through the US Ford Performance network.