News

Jeep pulled the JL Wrangler from UK sale over emissions and safety compliance failures—a rare case of regulations actually blocking a car worth owning. The company hints at an eventual return, likely with a cleaner powertrain and updated crash structure. For now, clean examples are becoming harder to find across the pond.

The CB350 RS has quietly become the thinking person's retro, and this long-distance run proves why. Modern enough to be reliable, analog enough to demand your attention, and cheap enough that you're not financing someone else's lifestyle. Turns out the real adventure isn't the miles—it's realizing a 350cc parallel-twin that weighs nothing teaches you more about riding than any liter bike ever could.

KTM's filling a gap in the Indian market with the RC 160, a 164cc liquid-cooled single bolted into a proper full fairing. 18.73 bhp and 15.5 Nm from the familiar 160 Duke mill keeps costs down at Rs. 1.85 lakh while maintaining the chassis fundamentals that made KTM's budget lineup actually rideable.

KTM's bringing the RC 160 to India at Rs 1.85 lakh, positioning it as the gateway drug below the RC 200 and RC 390. It's a fully-faired 160cc single, which means you're getting the styling language of KTM's actual performance bikes without the displacement to back it up. Smart market segmentation or dilution of the brand's racing DNA.

Autocar India puts VinFast's three-row crossover through its paces—a brand still proving it can build cars that matter beyond subsidy-driven markets. The VF7 leans on affordable pricing and practical packaging, but the real test is whether VinFast survives long enough for owners to trust the warranty.

Mahindra's XUV 3XO EV is the mass-market electric SUV India's been waiting for—or at least the one the market's getting. Autocar India walks through the compact crossover's packaging, interior layout, and powertrain basics. It's competent, affordable, and designed to move units in emerging markets where EV infrastructure is still catching up.

Verge is putting solid-state batteries into production on the TS Pro, claiming real-world range and charging speeds that would reshape two-wheelers if they actually materialize. The specs read like engineer fever dreams: energy density that makes lithium-ion look quaint, charge times measured in minutes. Whether this survives contact with the real world is another question entirely.

Japan still dominates Australia's import market, but 2025 marked a shift: Chinese manufacturers edged out Thailand to claim the second-largest supplier slot. This isn't about EVs flooding the market—it's about BYD, Li Auto, and a handful of others finally getting distribution right. The question isn't whether they're competitive. It's whether Australian buyers care enough to look beyond badge recognition.

Ford's Ranger has dominated Australian pickup sales for nearly four decades, but market dynamics are finally shifting. Toyota's refreshed lineup and BYD's aggressive EV truck strategy are poised to genuinely crack what's been an untouchable market position, forcing Ford to actually defend territory it's taken for granted.

Toyota's admitting what everyone already knows: their newer models are getting stolen at scale, and a software patch won't fix what's fundamentally a design flaw. The company's promising beefier security on fresh builds and accessories for existing owners—but if your 4Runner or Tacoma was built before 2024, you're basically driving a 7-Eleven parking lot special. Priority purchase programs for victims is PR theater when the real issue is Toyota cut corners on immobilizers for a decade.

Cadillac's CT5 jumped 11.4% in sales last year while the rest of the sedan market contracted, and a redesign is already locked in. The move signals GM still believes there's a buyer for a proper four-door, even if the spreadsheet guys have mostly given up on them elsewhere.

The RS200 shares its 200cc engine and frame with the NS200 but dresses itself differently—sporty fairing versus naked aggression. Last year's refresh added features and graphics, but the core 19.3hp single-cylinder remains untouched. It's the thinking person's entry-level middleweight in markets where displacement actually matters.

Porsche's former CEO acknowledged that going electric-only on the Macan was the wrong strategic call, and the company is now course-correcting. The move signals that even Stuttgart can't ignore market realities—enthusiasts and buyers want options, not mandates. This matters because it reveals how quickly EV-only bets can crater resale confidence and customer goodwill.

Toyota's adding new security measures to combat rising theft of three of its most bulletproof utility vehicles. The Prado, HiLux, and LandCruiser are getting hit because they're simple to steal, bulletproof in resale markets, and worth real money in parts. When your security becomes an afterthought, the market tells you something's wrong.

BYD is moving half of Australia's plug-in hybrid market, and it's not because they're the coolest brand in the room. The numbers are real—market share, production capability, price positioning—and it signals something the traditional OEMs are still scrambling to process. When one manufacturer controls 50% of a growing segment, that's not luck.

A Spyker devotee finally realized what the Dutch brand couldn't—a track-focused C8 with airplane-riveted bodywork and LM85 credentials. The Aileron represents what happens when passion fills the gap between concept and production, with hand-crafted details that put factory concepts to shame.

The Ferrari California was designed by committee for people who wanted a Ferrari but also wanted it to be easy. Now that depreciation has done its work, you can actually find clean examples at prices that don't require selling organs. The F1-derived 4.3L V8 is still brutally competent, and the retractable hardtop solved a problem nobody asked for—but it's a Ferrari that drives like one.

VW's electric Kombi revival is moving units after a rough launch, but early sales momentum doesn't tell the full story. The ID. Buzz trades the air-cooled simplicity of the original for a 82-kWh battery pack and MEB platform—capable, yes, but fundamentally a different animal. Market conditions and pent-up nostalgia are doing the heavy lifting.

BluePrint's latest crate engine drops 830 horses with a bulletproof warranty that actually means something. The 427 cubic inches of displacement appeals to the crowd that still builds with iron instead of software. Swap-ready architecture keeps real builders in the game.

Alpine is coming back to America, but not with the car that matters. The A110—that nimble, sub-3000-lb French sport car that actually deserves the hype—won't make the trip. Instead, expect EVs designed by committee for markets that don't understand what made Alpine worth caring about in the first place.