"It almost sounds hard to believe but Volkswagen, which generated €347 billion in revenue last year, is running out of cash. The situation is so dire that its supervisory board just slammed the brakes on any capital investments for the rest of the year. VW is short on investments it has to pay off next year by about €11 billion and the board is practically looking under the couch cushions for spare change. In its Q3 filings, VW reported that it generated zero free cash flow this year, which is what management usually likes to tap to fund investments. All this has got analysts talking about the need for VW to sell off non-core assets, and that makes us wonder if Scout could be in trouble?"

The Mitsubishi Pajero Is Back, And It Looks Like A Proper Land Cruiser Rival Again | Carscoops

https://www.motor1.com/news/806715/2027-mitsubishi-pajero-details-photos/

No word on when (or if) a US debut is set to happen.......I'd be surprised if they don't bring it over.  Seems like an easy way to grow Mitsu sales, and they've talked about expanding their US lineup.

2027 Genesis GV90 Revealed: A Flagship Three-Row SUV With Coach Doors

Genesis GV90 Debuts With a Long List of Firsts and Fancy Gimmicks - Autoblog

The GV90 will be offered in two versions: the conventional GV90 and the fancier GV90 Neolun. The latter gets Genesis' new Neolun Arch Gate, which replaces the traditional B-pillar with a hidden structural design and independently opening coach-style doors.

The cabin is packed with technology, too. A 23.6-inch OLED display serves as the main instrument and infotainment screen while driving. When parked, it rises by 90.0 millimeters to create a larger 24.6-inch display for watching content. There's also a massive 25.0-inch head-up display in place of a conventional instrument cluster.

The four-seat GV90 Neolun Executive Suite takes things up a notch with a wood-veneer floor—yes, real wood—in the second row with radiant heating, a privacy partition, roll-up shades, a refrigerator, and a six-zone Smart Vision Roof that can adjust its transparency.

Underneath all that opulence is an electric-only platform called eMP, which Genesis developed specifically for its flagship models. The GV90 uses a 123.5-kilowatt-hour battery, making it the largest battery fitted to a Hyundai Motor Group EV to date.

Genesis estimates the seven-seat GV90 will travel approximately 500 kilometers, or about 311 miles in the US, on a single charge. A 350-kilowatt DC fast charger can take the battery from 10 to 80 percent in a claimed 22 minutes.

Power comes from front and rear electric motors producing a combined 657 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque.

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I never thought the concept looked particularly good, and likewise don't really love how the production model looks either (basically the same), but I do give them credit for actually showing concepts and putting them into production.  And also for really pushing to expand Genesis.  Meanwhile, Ford has to take 15 years to think about adding a model at Lincoln, while cancelling another to add it.

I personally don't really see the purpose of the chairs flipping backward, but it's cool I guess!  lol

2027 Lexus NX Debuts With A New Face And Big Changes Under The Skin | Carscoops

2027 Lexus NX Revealed: New Look, More Hybrid Power

I don't know why all the companies have to spell out the brand name now.

Mitsubishi’s announcement, part of its broader “Momentum 2030” plan for North America, confirmed a 

pickup

 is coming without specifying exactly what underpins it. But the timing lines up too neatly to ignore: Nissan is developing its next-generation Frontier, and Mitsubishi has described the truck as a “collaboration project” with Nissan rather than an import of its own global lineup.

 Wards Auto reports the automaker has confirmed the new pickup as a joint project built around Nissan’s 

platform

, likely sharing its frame with the next-generation Nissan Frontier while carrying Mitsubishi-specific styling and branding. A trademark filing for the name “Endeavour” has resurfaced alongside the announcement, suggesting Mitsubishi may be planning a distinct identity for the truck rather than a straight rebadge.

Looks like Ram will re-enter the market alongside Transit Connect (or whatever they'll call it).

Quote

Hyundai is entering the last big uncharted territory in its quest to join the ranks of North America’s full-line automakers. With its first body-on-frame platform in the U.S., the automaker is muscling in on highly profitable pickups and SUVs that are the lifeblood of the Detroit 3.

The first vehicle on the new platform, a midsize pickup, is scheduled to arrive in 2029.

CEO Muñoz said Hyundai isn’t present in segments, such as trucks and commercial vehicles, that account for about 30 percent of the global auto market. Tapping into them will boost Hyundai’s operating profit margin above 9 percent by 2030, from 6.3 percent last year, he predicted.

“Close to 30 percent of the market we were not competing in, and that market is highly profitable,” he said. “We have the opportunity to expand our business into areas of the business which are more profitable, like body-on-frame, like large SUVs.”

https://www.autonews.com/news/an-hyundai-body-on-frame-truck-family-crater-boulder-suv-pickup-jose-munoz-0826/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter-DontMiss-20260826-12:57

Quote

Honda plans to resurrect the Element, a quirky compact crossover that gained a cult following for its versatility and unique looks, as a hybrid targeting the booming lifestyle and adventure market.

Production of the new Element is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2029 in central Ohio, people with knowledge of the plan told Automotive News.

 

The plant will serve as the sole global production hub, with Honda targeting nearly 100,000 vehicles in the first full year of output, the people said.

 

A hybrid powertrain also would address one of the original model’s key shortcomings: modest fuel economy.

“The new Element should appeal to Ford Bronco Sport buyers who want rugged looks and all-wheel-drive capability without paying around $45,000,” said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions.

 

“Threading the needle in price and size between the popular CR-V and the affordable HR-V will be key to the success of the new Element,” he said.

Quote

Muñoz told CNBC the company is considering plans to increase the expected production capacity at the plant from 500,000 units to between 700,000 and 800,000 units by 2028. It currently produces the all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 9 as well as the Kia Sportage hybrid, with additional vehicles expected in the coming years.

Polestar can no longer sell new cars in the United States past the 2027 model year. The US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security refused the EV maker the clearance it needs to keep doing business in the country, citing the Connected Vehicle Rule. Geely owns a majority stake in the brand, and that Chinese ownership is the reason the rule bites.

The Connected Vehicle Rule, finalized under the Biden administration, bars cars with Chinese or Russian software and hardware in their connectivity systems from the US market on national-security grounds. The fear is data and remote access, a connected car built within Beijing’s reach feeding information home or tampered with from afar.

Software restrictions land first, for the 2027 model year, with the hardware side following in 2030. Automakers need an authorization to sell in America, and while Polestar didn’t get one, sister brand Volvo, also Geely-owned, secured a waiver in May. Lincoln and Buick will have to clear the same hurdle, since both sell Chinese-built models in the States.

Polestar doesn’t appear to be contesting the decision either, and its own numbers might explain why. The U.S. was never where the money came from, with 94 percent of its retail sales in the first quarter of 2026 landing outside America. CEO Michael Lohscheller is pointing what’s left toward Europe and other growth markets. “The automotive industry is entering a new phase, based on regional dynamics,” he said in a statement.

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This announcement doesn't bode well for Nautilus (or for importing Corsair), unless they're putting completely different software/hardware in US-bound versions.

Hyundai’s Radical New Tucson Makes The RAV4 Look Half-Asleep | Carscoops

2027 Hyundai Tucson: First Images And Details Released

But don’t get too excited just yet – Hyundai is still keeping plenty of secrets. We don’t know what’s under the hood, what kind of hybrid tricks it’ll have, or even how much it’ll cost.

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I actually don't mind how this one looks.

The interior has some strange areas like whatever is going on with that center console.

For the longest time, the new Jaguar car has been going by unofficial names. It’s been called either the GT or the Type 00, just like the concept shown previously. Now we finally know its real name: it’ll be called the Type 01.

We don’t blame you if it sounds a bit predictable, anticlimactic, or both, but there is meaning to it. Jaguar explains that the use of the word Type refers to classic models, 0 stands for zero emissions, and 1 stands for the first model under the new philosophy.

The 2027 Kia EV3 rides on the E-GMP platform. This is a 400-volt system available with either a standard-range 58.3-kWh battery pack or a long-range 81.4-kWh pack. The standard range pack is only offered on the Light trim, which only arrives with FWD. The other four trims (Wind, Land, GT-Line, and GT) are fitted with the larger pack, and you can go from 10-80 percent state of charge in around 31 minutes on a DC Fast Charger.The 2027 Kia EV3 rides on the E-GMP platform. This is a 400-volt system available with either a standard-range 58.3-kWh battery pack or a long-range 81.4-kWh pack. The standard range pack is only offered on the Light trim, which only arrives with FWD. The other four trims (Wind, Land, GT-Line, and GT) are fitted with the larger pack, and you can go from 10-80 percent state of charge in around 31 minutes on a DC Fast Charger.

Wind and Land models come standard with FWD, but AWD is available. Meanwhile, both the GT-Line and GT are AWD only. All versions, however, feature a native NACS charging port.

Kia doesn't quote a power output for any of the FWD models. It does, however, have estimated driving ranges. The standard-range Light should be good for 220 miles, while the long-range FWD EV3 offerings are good for up to 320 miles. As for power,  the EV3 doles out 261 horsepower in the AWD models. That figure bumps up to 288 hp on the EV3 GT. 

JLR does not have a factory in North America, so that is where the partnership with Stellantis will benefit the UK automaker. The two companies announced a "non-binding Memorandum of Understanding" last month, and a US-built Defender will be the first product to come from this collaboration.

Acura's New Sports Car Concept Won't Reach Production. But Its Gorgeous Design Will

Acura is celebrating its 40th anniversary at Monterey Car Week with a sharp two-seat sports car named the Nexera Vision. The bad news arrives fast, as the concept isn’t headed for a showroom. Instead, it previews where the brand’s design is going, and its influence will surface on future products including the upcoming RDX Hybrid SUV.

According to a report from Automobilwoche, the brand is ending sales in the country after nearly 21 years. While that idea was once unthinkable, the publication reports that sales went from over 767,000 units in 2014 to less than 9,000 last year. That’s a decline of roughly 98.8% in little more than a decade.

http://www.cadillac.com/curatedbycadillac

Cadillac Escalade IQ’s New $55,000 Package Goes All-In on Bespoke Luxury - Autoblog

Want A Truly Bespoke Escalade IQ? Cadillac Has A New Customization Program

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a73395844/curated-by-cadillac-escalade-iq-revealed/

Today, Cadillac announced Curated by Cadillac ESCALADE IQ, extending the brand’s exclusive and low volume concierge-led experience to its all-electric flagship SUV, delivering an elevated and distinctly Cadillac experience.

“Curated by Cadillac ESCALADE IQ gives clients the chance to create a vehicle that reflects their individual taste by working alongside expert Cadillac designers,” said Kristian Aquilina, vice president, Global Cadillac. “We’re extending the hand-built CELESTIQ experience to deliver true customization capabilities for a select number of ESCALADE IQ clients.”
 

It's certainly a cool program if people are willing to pay, and something I thought Lincoln should try to do as well. The Germans do it too with BMW's "individual" program and Mercedes has a simir program (Manufaktur maybe?). They took the half step with Black Label. They should add a tier above where you can completely customize the colors.

The answer to the question in your head is no. The new 2027 Dodge Charger Super Bee Launch Edition is 100 horsepower more potent than the last-gen Super Bee, but it doesn’t have a V8. Instead, Dodge has created its fastest and most powerful SIXPACK Charger to date, boosting the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six engine to 600 hp with the help of 56mm Garrett turbochargers boosting at 30 psi, a bigger cooling system, and a retuned ECU. The result is 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds and a respectable 11.8-second quarter-mile time, but Dodge didn’t only fiddle under the hood.

Apart from a few minor tweaks here and there, the Chevrolet Express hasn’t really changed much since the mid-1990s. And honestly, there’s nothing wrong with that. But after all these years, Chevy is finally giving customers something they’ve been asking for: a color touchscreen.

According to GM Authority, the Express will get Chevrolet’s Infotainment System 3 for the 2027 model year, replacing the basic touchscreen system introduced in 2019. And yes, "Infotainment System 3" sounds fancy, but it's essentially the smallest 7.0-inch HD color display with Bluetooth for phone calls and audio streaming. Finally.

The upgrade will be available across the entire Express lineup, including Cargo, Cutaway, and Passenger models. There are still a few unanswered questions, though, like whether or not satellite radio, Apple CarPlay, or Android Auto will be offered. It’s also unclear whether USB connectivity will be available for 2027.

VW’s New Atlas Cross Sport Keeps The Turbo, Loses The Console Shifter | Carscoops

https://www.motor1.com/news/804469/bmw-car2car-51-automotive-grade/

BMW just put a hard number on how much of a dead car can come back as a new one, and it is easier to misread than to cheer. The company's Car2Car research project reports a 51 percent "recycling rate" from end-of-life vehicles, based on upgraded sorting and smelting applied to hundreds of scrapped BMWs.

That 51 percent figure is already being shared as "half the car gets recycled," which is not what BMW's engineers actually measured. The project tracked which recovered materials are clean and consistent enough to go straight back into automotive production, and where today's recycling system still leaves money and carbon savings on the table.

What 51% Really Means

BMW's Car2Car work used material from 433 end-of-life vehicles covering 60 different models, then pushed beyond standard shredding and bulk metal recovery. Engineers followed each output stream to see which share could become new BMW-grade parts rather than generic scrap that disappears into other industries or lower-value uses.

The 51 percent rate describes material that re-enters new automotive applications at comparable quality, not how much of the whole vehicle is recycled in any form. Under conventional recycling, BMW found that only 6 percent of a scrapped car's material came back as high-quality automotive feedstock, highlighting how much headroom there is in how cars are currently torn down.

BMW points to steel, aluminum, and copper as the main drivers of that jump. In the project, the usable share of steel rose from 1 percent to 81 percent, aluminum from 23 percent to 52 percent, and copper from 48 percent to 68 percent once recyclers applied more selective separation and tighter process control, without demanding far more manual dismantling than the disassembly already required before shredding.

VW Plans An American-Built Pickup Before The Decade Ends | Carscoops

Volkswagen wants the truck on sale before the end of the decade, the intel says, with production taking place at its existing plant in Tennessee. Building it locally would avoid the tariffs attached to imported pickups (which eventually killed off VW’s Bus-based pickup sales in the US in 1971) while making better use of the Chattanooga factory, where production of the ID.4 recently ended earlier than expected.

The obvious question is whether Volkswagen will develop the truck itself. Given the cost of creating an all new body on frame pickup, another partnership feels far more likely. And Ford would be the natural candidate. The two companies already have an extensive relationship spanning both Europe and South Africa.

Volkswagen’s latest Amarok (above) is effectively a Ford Ranger underneath, while the European Transporter is based on the Ford Transit. Ford, meanwhile, has used Volkswagen’s MEB electric platform for the Explorer and Capri sold in Europe.

If another collaboration happens, Volkswagen could dramatically shorten development time while giving itself a proven platform capable of competing in one of America’s toughest market segments. And although the report doesn’t mention it, VW could even theoretically twin a new pickup with Ford’s $30k electric Fathom.

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As I recall, Ford's current deal on the Amarok prohibits VW from bringing it to the US, IIRC.

I also doubt Ford would hand over the keys to their new Fathom/CE1 architecture.

Acura is preparing to unveil a new concept car that will make its global debut during the famed Monterey Car Week. The reveal will take place next week, with public viewing opportunities at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering on August 14 and on the Concept Lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 16.