8 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Electric Cars

The future of transportation is electric. Tesla proved with the Model S that customers would want to buy luxury vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries. Other EV startups like Faraday Future, Byton, Lucid Motors, and SF Motors are chasing after Elon Musk. And major automakers like Jaguar, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz have each released their own Tesla challengers. There are obstacles, such as the need for a more robust charging network. But battery-powered cars are here to stay.

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
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Is that a Tesla Cybervan?

A couple of Cybertruck-looking models make a brief appearance in the background of this video that Tesla produced for its Master Plan 4. Is it a van? A crossover? Whatever it is, it has the Cybertruck’s distinctive design, which suggests the automaker is preparing to double down on the polarizing (and commercially unsuccessful) vehicle.

Tesla’s new ‘Master Plan’ sounds like AI slop

The fourth installment in the automaker’s Master Plan series seizes on flashy new buzzwords: sustainable abundance.

Andrew J. Hawkins
Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
The scale of China’s EV program is mind boggling.

Two things stood out in this New York Times piece exploring the price wars in China resulting from EV overcapacity and excessive competition:

  • Last year, 129 brands in China were selling cars that ran mainly or entirely on electricity.
  • In each of the last five months, battery-powered and plug-in hybrid cars made up more than half of all cars sold.

Chinese manufacturers now export a fifth of their production, creating problems for manufacturers in the US and Europe.

Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Elon’s master plan.

Tesla has revealed the fourth part of its “Master Plan.” Part three dropped in 2023, promising to create “a sustainable energy civilization.” The new plan is instead about “sustainable abundance,” promoting clean energy and automation that will “give people back more time to do what they love.” Or, as Electrek puts it:

“This is a bunch of utopic nonsense, complete with AI ‘abundance’ buzzwords that Grok could have easily written.”

Master Plan Part IV

[X (formerly Twitter)]

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Tesla Model Y window is risk to body parts.

7,301 2025 models in Australia will receive a software update to correct the issue affecting the driver’s side automatic window, according to the regulator:

If a body part is in the window space when the driver’s side window is closing, it can increase the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Tesla down, BYD way up.

European registrations for new Tesla cars were down 40 percent in July compared to the same month last year, while EVs from BYD were up 225 percent. It’s the seventh consecutive month of declines for Musk, in a month that saw sales of EVs grow, according to ACEA data.

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
When will the US get the three-row Tesla Model Y that just launched in China?

Either the end of 2026, or not at all, according to Elon Musk. The new six-seater Model Y L variant is creating some buzz after just launching in China, but Musk said that the rise of autonomous vehicles may preclude its arrival in the US. Whatever that means.

Image: X.com
Image: X.com
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Tesla’s new legal exposure.

A few weeks after losing its first wrongful death jury trial, Tesla is facing a new set of legal problems. A judge in California approved a request to bundle a number of lawsuits alleging the company misled customers about autonomous driving into one class action suit. That could mean a much bigger payout if Tesla loses. The company is also facing a lawsuit from the California DMV over similar claims.

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Tesla’s new three-row Model Y is available in China.

The six-seater EV starts at ¥339,000, or about $47,000. That’s about $3,600 more expensive than the Model Y Long Range AWD in China. The range is 751 km (466 miles) on the CLTC driving cycle, which is typically more generous than the WLTP and EPA estimates. Here in the US, we’re still waiting for the cheaper version of the Model Y.

1/6Image: Tesla
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Tesla ‘Epic Bacon,’ we hardly knew ye.

What’s that? An Elon Musk project is falling short of expectations? The Tesla Diner has scraped half its menu, including the “all-day breakfast” option? You don’t say!

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
GM and Hyundai are making an electric van for the US market.

The two automakers first announced their collaboration last year, saying they would focus on building EVs and hydrogen vehicles together. Today’s announcement downplays the EVs and hydrogen — they’re “continuing to assess” — in favor of ICE and hybrid vehicles. Four of those vehicles will be for Central and South America, while a fifth, an all-electric commercial van, will be for North America. Hyundai is going to lead the van project, which makes sense given the Korean automaker’s recent success in the EV space.

The lawyer who beat Tesla is ready for ‘round two’

‘There are two Teslas,’ attorney Brett Schreiber told us. ‘There’s Tesla in the showroom and then there’s Tesla in the courtroom.’

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Tesla shareholders sue the company over robotaxi claims.

Another day, another lawsuit claiming Tesla is covering up safety problems with its self-driving tech. The latest one was filed in Texas by a Tesla shareholder and seeks class action status. And like previous legal challenges, it claims that Tesla and CEO Elon Musk overstated the effectiveness of its autonomous vehicles. It comes on the heels of a shocking defeat in a wrongful death case, in which Tesla was ordered to pay more than $240 million in damages.

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.