“We have spent the last few years working obsessively on the fundamentals of the GT formula, reinterpreted in a sophisticated, uniquely Range Rover way,” said Martin Limpert, managing director of Range Rover. “The result is the most car-like, yet unmistakably capable, Range Rover ever created, now possible on our electrified EMA architecture—complementing our existing powertrain portfolio to deliver a complete set of options for every customer need. Its blend of effortless EV performance, first-class long-haul refinement and all-terrain capability is pure Range Rover; while its calming interior previews our vision of a modern grand tourer,” he said.

The interior uses an interesting mix of textiles and materials.

Range Rover

The interior uses an interesting mix of textiles and materials. Range Rover

The back seat can be either two seats (seen here) or a three-seat bench.

Range Rover

The back seat can be either two seats (seen here) or a three-seat bench. Range Rover

The interior uses an interesting mix of textiles and materials. Range Rover

The back seat can be either two seats (seen here) or a three-seat bench. Range Rover

EMA is the company’s third electrifiable platform, the others are the already mentioned MLA, used by Range Rovers, and the JEA platform being developed by Jaguar for its forthcoming Type 01. Like the Range Rover GT, the Jaguar is also a four-door grand tourer, which should debut later this year.

Range Rover showed Ars the GT’s interior, which is a clear departure from the cabins of its SUVs. It’s gone ultraminimalist, at least at first glance—it still satisfies safety regulators in Europe and elsewhere that require physical controls for certain functions. I was delighted to see that Range Rover’s designers eschewed the idea of a third screen for the front passenger; the main instrument display and the infotainment touchscreen are both OLED screens, and Range Rover has made the head-up display standard for the GT.

More details about the GT, including what it actually looks like underneath that camo, should be forthcoming later this year.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/heres-range-rovers-first-not-suv-the-range-rover-gt/

Do you use your vehicle’s app to pre‑cool the cabin on a scorching day, confirm the doors are locked from bed, or have the car automatically call for help when the airbags go off?

Savor those connected, cloud‑based conveniences while you can—the clock is already ticking on their obsolescence. In a few short years, you may be driving today’s vehicle without many of the features you currently enjoy.

How we got hooked on the cloud

“Connected services”—cloud-based and networked features that let a vehicle communicate with external systems to deliver apps, data, and remote functions to drivers and passengers—have been around since the 1990s, when GM introduced OnStar as an option. Those early systems were mostly voice‑centric, but they still depended on centralized back‑end systems. Modern versions, which are fully data-driven and cloud-hosted, use much more sophisticated over-the-air data links to allow a considerably better feature set.

Today, virtually every volume brand offers some form of cloud-based telematics or a connected services stack. They can be deeply embedded, and most are fully integrated as the core of modern vehicle connectivity, supporting over-the-air (OTA) updates for the vehicle and app-based services for owners. As GM’s OnStar celebrates more than 30 years of service, a dozen others have joined, with each automaker branding its own unique services. HondaLink, Lexus Enform, FordPass, BMW ConnectedDrive, Volvo On Call, and Porsche Connect are just a few.

Despite their catchy marketing names, the systems are all functionally similar—each offers a very comparable feature set. Basics include remote lock/start, vehicle status and maintenance updates, location and tracking, and emergency assistance. Additional premium features include in-vehicle Wi-Fi hotspots, cabin preconditioning, stolen-vehicle tracking services, and concierge owner services.

BMW’s service is called ConnectedDrive.

Credit: BMW

Plenty of consumers have embraced the remote conveniences and demonstrated to automakers that they are more than willing to pay for them. After a bundled “free trial” following new vehicle delivery, manufacturers charge monthly fees or subscriptions for connected services. GM said that 40 percent of OnStar customers choose to renew their subscriptions after the introductory period expired.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/when-your-vehicle-outlives-its-cloud-what-happens-next/

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Although it sometimes feels like automakers have all but abandoned everything other than high-end luxury model vehicles, it’s not universally true. While some car companies have lobbied the government, terrified, asking to build protective walls to fend off cheap Chinese competition, others have looked at the problem from a different angle, trying to meet the moment. One such effort is the new Kia Seltos, a small SUV that takes inspiration from the Telluride but with a starting price of just $24,990 plus delivery charge.

The US almost didn’t get the Seltos in the first place; the first-generation model was designed with China in mind. Seltos take two is more considered, and also a little more substantial. The new body with its Telluride-like design cues has been stretched, mostly in the wheelbase. That said, at 174.4 inches (4,430 mm) long, 72 inches (1,829 mm) wide, and 64.9 inches (1,648 mm) tall, it’s still a subcompact, one segment smaller than something like a Toyota RAV4 or Mazda CX-5.

Kia is offering a choice of three different powertrain variants. The 1.6 L hybrid is the one we’re most interested in. But that version won’t be in showrooms until Q4 this year; don’t expect an Ars first drive of the hybrid Seltos until early next year. Or any other details in this first drive report—the hybrid Seltos is still undergoing its EPA certification, and Kia isn’t prepared to talk power, torque, or efficiency until that’s done and dusted.

It’s a compact SUV, but one that’s slightly larger than the model it is replacing.

Kia

It’s a compact SUV, but one that’s slightly larger than the model it is replacing. Kia

The Seltos you see in these photos wears the X-Line pack, with glossy black accents instead of brushed metal.

Kia

The Seltos you see in these photos wears the X-Line pack, with glossy black accents instead of brushed metal. Kia

It’s a compact SUV, but one that’s slightly larger than the model it is replacing. Kia

The Seltos you see in these photos wears the X-Line pack, with glossy black accents instead of brushed metal. Kia

Most will come with a 2.0 L four-cylinder under the hood that generates 147 hp (110 kW) and 132 lb-ft (180 Nm). You can have that engine with either front-wheel drive and a combined 30 mpg (7.8 L/100 km), or all-wheel drive and 28 mpg (8.4 L/100 km) combined. This engine is available in various trims, from the sub-$25,000 entry-level FWD Seltos LX to the $30,090 AWD Seltos EX.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/2027-kia-seltos-first-drive-telluride-vibes-in-a-smaller-package/

This is one of F1’s most storied venues.

Credit: Marc Fleury/Alessio Morgese/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Not this year. As I’ve detailed more than a few times now, the current breed of F1 car is not at all suited to tracks with high-speed corners. Because the hybrid side of the new power units provides such little energy, going flat out all the time is not the fastest way to complete a lap. Corners that once required a driver’s commitment and maybe a little bravery to drive at the limit are now coasted into to allow the engine to divert some of its power to recharge the battery. Needless to say, the drivers aren’t thrilled.

“For most of sector two, you run just on the engine,” said Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. “So what is that? 450 bhp, 500 bhp? Something like that, which is, I guess, more or less what a Formula 3 car has but with F1 downforce. So you can imagine, of course, that that is not very exciting to drive.”

“But honestly, I don’t want to sit here and complain again because probably someone will shoot me outside the door,” he joked.

Rumors continue to swirl about Verstappen’s future. As he is not in the top two of the driver’s championship, he could potentially activate an escape clause in his Red Bull contract, and some think a move to McLaren could be possible. A complete F1 sabbatical is another alternative, as Verstappen has made no secret of his desire to win some of the world’s other great races outside of F1, like the 24-hour endurance races at Le Mans, the Nürburgring, and, yes, Spa.

While I’d love to see Verstappen in more GT3 and possibly prototypes, I’m guessing he’ll stay in F1, and with Red Bull. “I’m mentally just adjusting to it. I’m trying to make the best out of it,” he told the media after qualifying. “Even though, of course, it’s not what I like, not what I love to do in Formula 1. But I can also sit at home and drive nothing. But that also doesn’t do anything. So I’m just trying my best.”

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/f1-in-belgium-the-2026-cars-look-pathetic-on-all-the-best-racetracks/

Though I did no measured testing, I’d peg the Gravity Touring as extremely fast, with gobs of power on demand at any time, compared to the absurdly fast Grand Touring or any of those 1,000+ hp Airs. Lucid claims a 0–60 time of 4.0 seconds for the Touring. Soberly, though, I’d suggest the real-world performance difference between the top-power Grand Touring and the Touring is less significant than the difference in stats columns.

Despite the acceleration, it’s the polish that impressed me the most. Steering is precise and feels naturally weighted from parking lot speeds to cruising on the interstate. The optional three-chamber air suspension strikes a pleasing balance between ride comfort and body roll control, isolating occupants from rough pavement without allowing the vehicle’s considerable mass (at about 5,200 pounds/2,360 kg) to feel unwieldy.

The steering wheel can give Austin Allegro vibes.

Jim Resnick

The steering wheel can give Austin Allegro vibes. Jim Resnick

The middle row.

Jim Resnick

The middle row. Jim Resnick

With the seats flat, it’s van-like in terms of space.

Jim Resnick

With the seats flat, it’s van-like in terms of space. Jim Resnick

The middle row. Jim Resnick

With the seats flat, it’s van-like in terms of space. Jim Resnick

Lucid also fits serious braking hardware, with six-piston Brembo-built front calipers clamping giant 15-inch rotors. Over twisty sporty-car roads, the Gravity didn’t exactly become a Ferrari, but it negotiated tight corners, hills, heavy braking, and gravel-covered patches with way more talent than I anticipated. Interestingly, in everyday driving, even when throttle-closed regenerative braking is switched off, the Gravity still slows markedly, as if regen is engaged.

Visually, the Touring is mostly indistinguishable from the more expensive Grand Touring, which is fortunate because its design is one of the vehicle’s strongest assets. The proportions look coherent, and the surfaces are aerodynamic without looking experimental. The illuminated front fascia, full-width lighting elements, and expansive glass roof create a modern aesthetic that feels premium rather than performative.

The test vehicle wore optional Supernova Bronze metallic paint. Coupled with the standard Stealth Appearance package, the flat-sided wheels, and the broad-shouldered look of the front-end graphic and front lights, the Gravity Touring is handsome, but it doesn’t really shave much visual weight. It certainly looks like it weighs 5,200 lbs, even though it wears it well.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/2026-lucid-gravity-touring-review-a-strong-act-2/

Much had been expected of a newly upgraded Ferrari engine in Austria, but a combination of altitude and heat meant we did not see it at its best. With thicker, cooler air, the gap to the Mercedes was much less, and an inspired lap from Hamilton, egged on by more than 100,000 spectators, saw him grab the sprint pole from Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli by 11 milliseconds.

The following day, Hamilton managed to keep the young Mercedes driver at bay and held out for eight laps before the inevitable happened. But Hamilton still finished second, and less than 3 seconds back after 17 laps. That’s much less of a deficit than we’ve seen before. That afternoon saw qualifying for Sunday’s race, but this time Hamilton could only manage third on the grid. Antonelli snatched pole, but between them was Charles Leclerc, Hamilton’s teammate at Ferrari.

Leclerc has been ill at ease with his race car, and if you’re not comfortable in an F1 car, you won’t find its limit. He failed to finish in Monaco and Barcelona and finished a distant eighth in Austria, albeit after qualifying second. This past weekend looked like that trend might continue, until something finally clicked between Leclerc and his Ferrari SF-26. Both Ferraris made better starts than Antonelli with Leclerc in the lead.

Something’s broken

Then on lap 41, something broke in the steering or suspension of Antonelli’s Mercedes, possibly after riding heavily over one of the circuit’s serrated curbs. The Italian driver made another two pit stops to try to solve the problem but to no avail. He would end the race in ninth on the road but was scored 15th after being penalized for repeatedly driving off-track in an attempt to bring his damaged car home.

The exit clause in Max Verstappen’s Red Bull contract is about to open; will he exercise it?

Credit: PETER POWELL / POOL / AFP via Getty Images

Up front, Leclerc looked set to cruise to his first win in almost two years. Then, on lap 48, the active rear wing on Max Verstappen’s Red Bull malfunctioned at Stowe corner. For 2026, F1 cars use a low-downforce configuration on the straights, then a high-downforce setting for the corners. But if front and rear wings don’t transition between the two states quickly enough, it can make the car uncontrollably unstable.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/f1-in-britain-automated-software-to-blame-for-crushing-expectations/

If the car-buying public had qualms about Tesla, it appears to have gotten over them. This morning, the automaker released its sales and production numbers for the second quarter of the year. And if you’re a fan of activist CEO Elon Musk, it’s good news, as April, May, and June were great months for the company. In total, Tesla sold 480,126 EVs during Q2, a 25 percent year-over-year increase.

As expected, the Model 3 and Y make up the vast majority of sales; despite its size, Tesla still only mass-produces these two models, which accounted for 467,762 deliveries, a 25.2 percent increase compared to Q2 last year. The remaining 12,364 vehicles—a 19 percent increase compared to the same quarter in 2025—were a mix of the now-discontinued Models S and X and the controversial Cybertruck, which is only sold in North America and the Middle East.

Better news for Tesla fans is that the company appears to be getting a handle on its overproduction problem. As we noted when it published its Q1 2026 results in March, Tesla had a growing inventory problem, repeatedly building more cars each month than it could sell. But total production for Q2 was 451,758 cars; this is a 10 percent increase year over year but also nearly 30,000 fewer cars than it sold this quarter.

Of those, 442,936 were Models 3 and Y, an 11.6 percent increase year over year. But we can see the effect of the Model S and X cancellations; “other” accounted for just 8,822 vehicles, a 35 percent decrease compared to Q2 2025.

Tesla’s energy storage sales aren’t looking too shabby, either. In Q2 2026, it deployed 13.5 GWh, a 40 percent increase compared to Q2 2025.

Although Tesla does not break out sales by geographic region, registration data shows that much of the sales surge came from Europe.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/tesla-sales-increase-by-25-in-q2-2026/

The Amble One is configurable from the start. Rear seats fold flat. A canvas weatherproofing option is coming. A lockable front box will replace the standard basket for urban buyers. Hard doors are not planned, but a second platform—already in design and targeting a 2029 release—will move further toward conventional-car territory, with removable doors, a lower roofline, and a hardtop; it cleverly aims to replace not a family’s primary car, but its second car.

That incoming “Amble Two” is clearly the larger bet. “Most families do not need twice that $50,000 BYD or Tesla,” Roose says. “The second vehicle for families could be something that is designed for purpose, designed for shorter trips—and that can be much simpler, way more fun, way more open, and also more affordable.”

Car brands have models that are trying to crack this market, too. The 28-mph Citroen Ami with its 46-mile range is a prime example. Stellantis, which owns Citroen, recently announced plans to expand capacity for its supermini electric cars. “This is the beginning of a turning point,” Roose says.

Still, Amble might have a shot. The company apparently has 12 signed clients, over 500 vehicles committed, and more than 10 million euros in signed revenue, according to Roose. Properties including Amangiri in Utah, Mustique Island, Six Senses Les Bordes in the Loire Valley, and Uva’s own Na Praia in Comporta have placed orders. The first hospitality deliveries of the Amble One begin in mid-2027, while consumer preorders for Europe and the US are now open, with deliveries in 2028, starting from $25,000.

“A lot of companies in micromobility start in the urban market and want to compete with everyone, and we all know that this did not work out so far,” Hoenig says. “We’re taking a different approach: build our brand as a premium brand, and then step by step go more into this urban market.”

Could this “luxury” lunar-inspired supermini EV be the ride to get us all to ditch our ICE second car and finally embrace micromobility? The Amble One is a darn sight more appealing a prospect than the contenders that have come before it.

This story originally appeared at wired.com.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/06/apple-and-audi-alumni-have-made-a-luxe-ev-based-on-the-moon-buggy/

Now we have some idea what that reduction in complexity might look like.

The report, confirmed by Reuters, says that another 45,000 jobs would go. That would reduce VW’s total workforce by around 15 percent; currently, the automaker employs more than 650,000 people across the group’s 10 car brands and other divisions.

VW Group is part-owned by the state of Lower Saxony, which, together with strong unions, has always made the thought of factory closures in Germany anathema. But VW Group CEO Oliver Blume will present a plan to the company’s board next month that outlines just such a thing, according to the report. Volkswagen plants in Hannover, Zwickau, and Emden, as well as Audi’s factory in Neckarsulm, are all in the crosshairs.

“Please understand that we do not comment on internal, confidential documents. The underlying matters will be discussed and approved in the respective committees. We will not pre-empt this process,” a VW spokesperson told Ars.

“The Executive Board has repeatedly stated that our current business model no longer works across all brands: developing cars in Germany, producing them in Europe and exporting them to the world… The entire Group has to become significantly more competitive,” it said.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/06/vw-may-close-four-factories-to-adapt-to-the-future-report-says/

The electric car brand Polestar’s days in the US are seriously numbered. Today, the company revealed that the US Commerce Department has declined to authorize imports of new Polestars from model year 2027 onward as part of a rule banning connected cars from automakers with Chinese links.

Polestar says it will continue to sell its existing stock of Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 SUVs and “will continue to support customers, including providing access to its service network.” But we can forget about the Polestar 5 sedan, the Polestar 6 roadster, or any future models making it to these shores.

The automaker was spun out of Volvo Cars several years ago as a pure EV brand by its corporate parent, Zhejiang Geely Holding, a Chinese company that also owns OEMs like Lynk and Co and Zeekr. And just weeks ago, Commerce authorized Volvo to import MY27 vehicles. At the time, Polestar told Ars that it was continuing to work with US authorities to meet the regulations; that work was evidently in vain.

US domestic auto manufacturing interests have been wildly successful in raising support for protectionist measures from across the political spectrum, although ironically, the Polestar 3 SUV is built in South Carolina at the Volvo plant near Charleston. Polestar 4s destined for the US were built in South Korea, although much of Polestar’s manufacturing is in China.

“The automotive industry is entering a new phase, based on regional dynamics. Our strategy reflects that, with Europe being our largest growth engine and our plan to manufacture Polestar 7 in Europe,” said Michael Lohscheller, Polestar’s CEO. “Our record sales in 2025 and the first quarter of 2026 show that we are making strong progress, with several new market launches taking place in Europe this year. In addition, we will continue to invest in markets where we have opportunities to continue to grow, like Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Canada.”

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/06/feds-deny-polestar-authorization-to-sell-cars-in-us-from-model-year-2027/