5 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Cars

Cars are the technology of the future. The Verge brings you new car reviews, auto show insights, deeply reported investigations, and news from the frontlines of autonomous and electric vehicle development. We bring you updates from major companies like Ford, GM, Mercedes, and VW as well as digital upstarts like Uber, Google, and Tesla. Cars are among the biggest computers that we’ll ever own, and we know computers. We also bring you news and analyses from the growing effort to reduce the number of cars crowding our cities and the fight to reduce oil consumption, cut CO2 emissions, and shift to more sustainable sources of energy.

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Porsche EV owners get Tesla Supercharger access.

The sports car company is finally offering adapters so Taycan and Macan EV owners can charge at Tesla’s Supercharger stations. New Porsche EVs will come with a complimentary adapter, while the company will send adapters free-of-charge to current Porsche owners. Charging sessions are initiated through the Tesla app for now, but soon can be started through the My Porsche app. Still no word on when Volkswagen and Audi EV owners can get their adapters.

Image: Porsche
Image: Porsche
BMW’s ‘Neue Klasse’ is finally here, starting with the iX3

BMW’s fist EV to be built on its new platform will feature lightning-fast charging and four superpowered ‘brains.’

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Volvo teases new EX60 SUV.

The mid-sized electric crossover will be formally revealed on January 21, 2026. But we already know a few key details, including that it will be built on an 800-volt architecture, which will improve its charging speeds. The new platform will also enable “a longer electric range than any Volvo car before it,” the automaker promises. The EX60 will be built in Volvo’s Gothenburg factory, with production set to begin in the first half of 2026.

The EX60 will likely compete with the Tesla Model Y, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and Hyundai Ioniq 5 in the mid-sized crossover EV market.
The EX60 will likely compete with the Tesla Model Y, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and Hyundai Ioniq 5 in the mid-sized crossover EV market.
Image: Volvo
Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
The 1986 vision of a ‘highly intelligent car.’

The BBC Archive channel on YouTube has a ton of content to draw from, including plenty of reports about what “the future” will be, like this Tomorrow’s World presentation on a concept car with satellite navigation.

Of course, some of the tech it highlights, like V2X communication, is still mostly a fantasy.

How big trucks and SUVs gobbled up the entire auto industry

‘Car bloat’ is what you get when companies prioritize profits over safety.

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Acura teases its first EV.

The RSX Prototype, Honda’s first EV built on its in-house developed platform, is set to make its debut at Monterey Car Week. But it won’t be arriving at Acura dealerships until the second half of 2026. Until then, you’ll have to make do with this moody photo.

So brooding.
So brooding.
Image: Honda
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Mercedes-Benz plans a flurry of EV reveals.

The three-pointed star may have backed off its plan to sell only EVs after 2030, but that doesn’t mean it’s given up on plug-in power altogether. In addition to teasing its new electric GLC — including an illuminated grille with “a total of 942 dots backlit from behind” — the German automaker also plans to launch no fewer than 15 new EVs over the next two years, calling it “the biggest product launch program in the history of Mercedes-Benz.” No argument here.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Honda’s Pokémon Koraidon motorcycle finally hits the racetrack.

After first revealing the prototype last March, Honda has finally demonstrated its Koraidon motorcycle, based on one of the mascots from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, in motion at Japan’s Suzuka Circuit.

Koraidon moves its four legs in a galloping motion while leisurely rolling down the track, but its tires don’t spin. Its balance is assisted by a pair of wheeled kickstands, and while there’s room for a passenger, its moving limbs may make for an uncomfortable ride.

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
You can now buy a used car on Amazon.

As long as you live in Los Angeles, that is. The e-commerce giant is expanding its nascent Autos business to include used and certified pre-owned vehicles. Dealers can list their inventory on Amazon, where customers can browse the latest deals while shopping for toilet paper, groceries, and everything else they buy online. The company is promising stellar customer protections, including “a 3-day/300-mile return policy and a minimum 30 day/1,000-mile Limited Warranty on all vehicles.” Amazon is starting with Hyundai dealers, since it already has a preexisting deal with the Korean automaker. And from there it will grow to include other brands and cities.

image of a truck on an Amazon ad
Image: Amazon
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Chevy teases the next-gen Bolt EV’s redesign.

Get a first look at the new fascia, NACS charging port, and brake lights on the Bolt, with Chevy promising “More this fall.”

GM killed the Bolt in 2023 before resurrecting it for its newer Ultium battery tech (which... it’s also killing, at least as a brand name). The new Bolt will boast faster charging and multiple models, but that won’t include a small hatchback — only the larger EUV Bolt is making a comeback.

BMW M5 review: a PHEV worth its weight

The German brand’s new plug-in hybrid may lack personality, but it makes up for it in styling.

Peter Nelson
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Tariffs are ruining Volvo’s plans to sell new EVs in the US.

The Swedish automaker said it will take a one-off, non-cash impairment charge of 11.4 billion Swedish kronor ($1.19 billion) in the second quarter related to two plug-in models: the EX90 and ES90. That means Volvo is basically reducing the value of the EVs on its balance sheet. The reason is because Donald Trump’s tariffs are making it impossible for Volvo to make a profit on these models. The EX60 is still on track, apparently.

Rivian R1S review: second time’s the charm

The second-generation version of the electric three-row SUV is great on pavement, but really shines off-road.

Peter Nelson
The great EV pullback has begunThe great EV pullback has begun
Andrew J. Hawkins
Mercedes-Benz electric G-Wagen review: king of the off-road

The G580 with EQ Technology may have a fancy name, but it stays true to its original formula.

Peter Nelson
Apple CarPlay Ultra hands-on: more continuity, less disruption

Luxury automaker Aston Martin is the first OEM to offer support for Apple’s enhanced phone mirroring system, so we hopped in a DBX707 to give the new software a test drive.

Bradley Iger
Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Admirable fuel economy numbers... for a supercar.

Yes, the Lamborghini Revuelto is a plug-in hybrid that also carries a $4500 gas guzzler tax for not meeting minimum fuel efficiency standards.

But, according to Peter Nelson, it’s easier than you might think to come close to its 23 MPGe rating while driving, despite the 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 behind you.

1/6
Lamborghini Revuelto review: perfect harmony

This $612,000 plug-in hybrid is simply maniacal.

Peter Nelson
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Samsung Galaxy’s digital key now works with Mercedes-Benz.

The Samsung Wallet now supports digital key compatibility with Mercedes-Benz models starting July 2025, the company said. Samsung phones can already be used to unlock and start a variety of automotive brands, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Ram, and Polestar vehicles. Samsung has also been working with smart lock manufacturers to enable its phones to be used to lock and unlock homes and residencies.

Samsung uses UWB technology to enable digital key functionality.
Samsung uses UWB technology to enable digital key functionality.
Image: Samsung
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
No tax breaks, no problem.

Ford says it will complete the EV battery factory its building in Michigan, even without the generous tax breaks included in the (probably doomed) Inflation Reduction Act. The $3 billion factory is being built in Marshall, about 100 miles west of Detroit, in partnership with China’s CATL. That combination alone (an EV factory? with China?) makes it a likely target of Republicans who are in the process of gutting all the IRA’s clean energy investments. But Ford is sticking with its plan, even without generous tax breaks on the table.

“We don’t want to back off on this facility,” Ms. Drake told reporters. “When we invest, we stick behind our investments. Ford is a company that will weather the storm until we get there.”

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Yep, that’s a Tesla robotaxi driving on the wrong side of the road.

By most accounts, the company’s robotaxi launch in Austin yesterday went off without a hitch. Most of the Tesla fans and influencers who received invites to test it out said the experience was “smooth” and “natural.” But you knew something was going to happen, and that something turned out to be a robotaxi briefly driving in the opposite lane of traffic. Not a good look.

Justine Calma
Justine Calma
Watchdog tells Republicans to drop environmental rollbacks from their ‘big, beautiful bill.’

The Senate parliamentarian — a nonpartisan congressional advisor — says Republicans are violating a budget reconciliation rule in their attempt to fast-track some parts of President Trump’s agenda.

That includes measures to undo Biden-era tailpipe pollution standards and repeal funding authorizations for climate programs under the Inflation Reduction Act. Republicans have been getting creative lately, however, with ways to get around the parliamentarian’s objections.

How Texas’ hands-off approach to autonomous vehicles gave Tesla an opening

An industry-favored 2017 law made Texas a hotbed for AV investment, but critics say safeguards are needed as driverless cars fill public roads.

Mack DeGeurin