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By: Sergiu Tudose

Designing a modern hypercar is like defusing a bomb. One tiny mistake and history will not look back on you kindly. Gone are the days when Jeremy Clarkson would drive something fast and exciting, but with several weaknesses, only to say that he loved it precisely because it wasn't perfect. This is 2026, and people expect a flawless experience behind the wheel, especially when the asking price is in the millions.

Earlier this month, Hennessey unveiled the Blackbird as an all-new, naturally-aspirated touring hypercar with a six-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel drive. Visually, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird served as inspiration, hence the aerospace-led surfacing and active vertical stabilizers.

Inside, it's all about driver engagement. We're talking zero screens, 100% analog controls, and you even get a physical key. The interior is stunning, and considerably more luxurious than what you got with the Venom GT and Venom F5.

The 6.2-liter V8 should be producing between 800 and 850 horsepower, while revving to more than 9,000 rpm. The Texas-built Blackbird will then hit 60 mph (97 kph) from a standstill in the 2.5-second range, before maxing out at 220 mph (354 kph). A total of 71 examples will be produced for key global markets, and the price is a sweet $2.5 million before taxes.

This may not be Hennessey's fastest-ever car, but according to them, it represents their most significant engineering and development commitment to date. With that in mind, to better understand the thinking behind its striking exterior and remarkable approach to beauty, we spoke exclusively with Hennessey Head of Design Nathan Malinick.

autoevolution: With the Blackbird, was establishing a recognizable Hennessey design language one of the project's explicit objectives?

Malinick: "No, the Hennessey design language will come naturally. We're still relatively young in the hypercar space, which provides a lot of freedom for us as a design team to push, explore, and discover nearly constraint-free. That being said, by virtue of our proximity to F5 and Venom GT, their design DNA is in the atmosphere and echoes within the language of Blackbird."

"As time progresses the Hennessey DNA will inevitably become more defined and clear to the point of instant recognition. Blackbird introduces a new visual and philosophical expression for Hennessey that prioritizes beauty in every surface. To that end, necessarily, Blackbird establishes key Hennessey design principles of optimal proportions and voluminous sweeping surfaces with disciplined tension added only where needed. All these aspects and features work to create a cohesive design language that will influence future Hennessey hypercars."

For the full interview, please continue reading on our site.

By: Cristian Agatie

Both Ford and Slate Auto plan to start deliveries of their affordable electric pickup trucks in 2027, with prices below $30,000. The two trucks could not be more different, with Slate Auto betting on a cheap, customizable platform, while Ford aims to offer a fully featured vehicle. However, both face obstacles, and it's not yet clear which will be the most successful. 

When Slate Auto came out of stealth in 2025, it had a solid proposition for people who thought electric pickup trucks were too expensive for what they offered. Slate Auto wanted to sell a base platform that doesn't have much except four wheels, two seats, a motor, and a battery, for the lowest possible price. At the time, it was "under $20,000," taking into account the $7,500 federal tax credit. 

To much anyone's surprise, Slate Auto doubled down on its affordability promise by making the Blank Slate even more affordable. The official price is now $24,950, or $26,400 with destination charges, despite losing the EV tax credit. Yes, that's for a two-seat truck that doesn't even have paint on it, let alone other creature comforts. The EV startup bet that customers would open their wallets to pay for customization and extras, even if this might ruin the affordability argument. 

However, the market conditions changed significantly when Ford announced that its upcoming Fathom pickup truck would sell for roughly $30,000. Ford was obviously taking a jab at Slate Auto when it said that the Universal EV pickup would offer more cabin space than a Toyota RAV4 and would not be a stripped-down vehicle. The announcement caused some stir, but nobody took it quite seriously. 

Even if the $30,000 price were possible, everyone knows what this means for the auto industry, especially legacy carmakers. In most cases, the $30,000 number is only a price class, with the actual product likely to cost about $38,000. It would also launch with the top variants first at much higher prices, probably close to $50,000. Then, the dealers would mark up the hell out of every truck as the carmaker would struggle to ramp up production. 

However, Ford wanted to mark its territory with a lower starting price than anyone thought. The $30,000 price estimate is now confirmed to be accurate, with the Ford Fathom starting at $28,350 or $29,945 including charges. That puts it within spitting distance from the Slate truck, despite offering a comprehensive package versus a bare-bones experience.

For the full article, please continue reading on our site.

By: Aurel Niculescu

Not long ago, before 2020, these automotive events were mostly dedicated to hardcore fans. Today, they have become globally relevant and more important than ever. So much so that they firmly beat all regular car shows taken together, which is a tall order.

The automotive world has gone nuts in many ways but has also evolved quite deeply since the pandemics and the forced lockdown, the subsequent reopening and chip crisis, plus all the current constraints caused by various things like the emergence of AI and all these harrowing wars. Put on top of that, the changing global climate caused by that non-existent (!) global warming and the major energy crises that pop up all over the globe.

Among all these negative trends, events like the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Monterey Car Week turn out as beacons of light. Think about it for a second. Over in England, the Goodwood Estate becomes for a few days the capital of elegance and craziness, as stunning concepts and one-offs bask into the sun on the lawn and then some of them roar their engines to life and try to set a new hill climb lap record!

Over in California, the 2026 Monterey Car Week had some distinctively cool competition over from the East Coast in the form of the Woodward Dream Cruise and the associated events like Roadkill Nights, where the Ford Motor Company and Stellantis unleashed models like the Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC Cabriolet and Dodge Charger Super Bee, among quite a few others.

But the Monterey Car Week takes the win, nevertheless, because it had something for everyone. There was so much happening all week (actually, it was more like ten days because they needed all that time) that people needed to organize their bearings and search for directions in advance. Still, nobody probably nailed all events because some of them were happening at once in different places.

There was an exclusive invitation-only rally across three days from Los Angeles to Monterey organized by the Luxury Rally Club; there was the Supercar Owners Circle at Carmel Meadows, the Santa Lucia Preserve Concours & Cocktails, just to name a few of the lesser-known ones. There was also the Concorso Italiano, the Quail, a Motorsport Gathering, the Monterey Motorsports Festival, the Exotics On Broadway, and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance just to name a few of the best-known ones!

That was also one of its strengths and biggest weaknesses: wherever you went across the Peninsula or at any given date and time, there was something going on, and often there were overlapping events which meant you had to chose wisely. Anyway, then there were the premieres – most of them of the most exotic variety, from million-dollar hypercars to mysterious new concepts, and from tuning creations to hand-built special editions and one-offs.

By the way, my list might have some omissions – they’re intended, because I’m selecting the coolest ones and ignoring the others. Sorry for being biased, but that’s just automotive life. So, Acura presented the Nexera Concept at The Quail, and it’s important not because it will go into production but rather because it expressing, for better or worse, the brand’s next-generation design language. We’ll see its DNA in the upcoming next-generation RDX Hybrid, by the way.

For the full article, please continue reading on our site.

By: Cristian Curmei

With the number of RV and camper manufacturers out there, we’ve nearly exhausted every positioning of features and systems possible. However, every once in a while, a travel trailer stands out and this time around, that unit is the one and only Cazadora 655 MEB from Germany’s own Tabbert.

While the name Tabbert isn’t one found in the US, North American RV and camper enthusiasts are sure to feel as though they’ve broadened their horizons. Why? Simply because the Cazadora 655 MEB is a towable that presents a layout which isn’t often seen on the camper market, no matter where you are in the world.

Upon entering the unit, we actually find ourselves in the middle of a living space, one composed of a couch and opposing coffee or tea bar with storage underneath and at the front, under the front cap, Tabbert adds the galley, spread out along an L-shaped countertop and cabinet construction. It’s a look that is usually present in more retro or vintage campers.

Usually, most campers house a dinette under the front cap, and with the shifted positioning, we unlock a few things. One of them is cooking up a storm, but with a view. Secondly, Tabbert created a space that just flows. You cook your meals, take a seat and eat, and from here, either head toward the rear to prepare for a light nap or the night itself, or head outside and enjoy the sky above.

Speaking of which, one trait of the galley that isn’t to be overlooked is the bi-directional fridge located by the door. Be it inside or out, you can grab a drink from this feature, and if you do so from outdoors, you never have to step inside and drag in any mud or dirt from outside, preserving the cleanliness of your home.

One neat thing about Tabbert is that what they allow for is utter customizability in terms of crafting the mobile habitat that you want. As such, an impressive list of features and upgrades are available, some of which allow us to tap into full-sized appliances like a four-burner top, oven, rangehood, countertop extensions, and more.

This kitchen is then completed with little nooks and crannies where we can store our foods and drinks, but where we can also add little personal touches like potted plants, little hanging LED light bulbs, and the seashells and pinecones you find on those beaches and forests you end up strolling through.

Speaking of strolling, heading toward the rear of this unit another benefit of the layout comes to light, and all you really have to do is sprinkle in a couple of guests. Under this scenario, all the privacy that we seek in bedrooms and private bathrooms remains untouched. A partition keeps the space closed off from prying eyes.

For the full article, please continue reading on our site.

By: Mircea Panait

When Aston Martin unveiled the standard Vanquish with its overly powerful twin-turbocharged V12, purists celebrated the Gaydon-based automaker's refusal to embrace hybrid assistance. Going forward, the company prepares to unleash an even more uncompromising iteration of the flagship grand tourer. Presently referred to as Vanquish S, the British thriller stands out in prototype form due to its eight-piped exhaust arrangement.

Beyond the standard four tailpipes at the sides of the rear bumper, two additional outlets are tucked low in the area of the aerodynamic diffuser. Two more pipes are hidden behind the mesh-covered trunk lid, making for a seemingly astounding eight outlets in total. The big question is whether Aston Martin's final design for the Vanquish S will flaunt eight as well.

"Emissions test vehicle" stickers indicate that Euro 7 takes priority at this point in the development process, and the lack of high-voltage stickers confirms the purely combustion nature of this luxury-oriented bruiser with minor aerodynamic improvements over the regular Vanquish. Due next year, the S could match the 838-hp rating of the limited-edition Valen.

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While Dodge may have dominated Roadkill Nights with its 600-horse Charger Super Bee, more powerful Charger drift cars, and the Durango R/T 392 Smokescreen concept, the ailing Chrysler brand was also present with a couple of Pacifica concepts. Addressing the sparse lineup, Brazilian digital artist Kleber Silva came up with a series of renderings proposing two all-new entry points for the Auburn Hills-based luxury vehicle marque.

In the real world, Stellantis North America is readying a pair of affordable crossovers for North America, both targeted to start below $30,000 when they go live in 2028 for the 2029 model year. The visual proposal from Silva outlines how the automaker could adapt European donors for the American market, drawing inspiration from the Fiat Grizzly and Grizzly Fastback.

The 2029 Chrysler Arrow features a two-box traditional crossover body, while the Arrow Cross builds on its brother with a coupe-SUV profile. Both rendered vehicles front an updated corporate fascia incorporating the wing motif and slim headlights pulled from the refreshed Pacifica, alongside a slightly retrimmed interior designed to deliver a posher atmosphere.

Why come up with small Chrysler utility vehicles? Given that 35 percent of new car buyers are seeking affordable transportation, the Arrow sibs anchor the brand's new identity around sensible utility. Offloading entry-level crossover duties to Chrysler allows Dodge to better concentrate on muscle and performance vehicles, avoiding showroom overlap between them.

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During the Monterey Car Week, the Ford Motor Company expanded its lineup by unveiling the Dark Horse SC Convertible. Drawing inspiration from this reveal, the very same Kleber Silva who gave us the aforementioned crossovers also rendered a sedan-bodied 'Stang with Dark Horse influences at both ends. Ford recently showcased the so-called Mustang Mach-4 to select dealers, signaling a dramatic shift in the Dearborn-based automaker's North American passenger car strategy.

Trademarked in 2025, this nameplate is perfect for a Mustang with four doors, riding on a long-wheelbase version of the rear-drive platform employed by the S650-generation fastback and convertible. Insiders who attended the private meeting described the newcomer as being similar in footprint to the Porsche Panamera, with dealers also reporting a targeted sub-$40,000 starting price. Naturally, there is talk about V8 options.

Translating a two-door pony car into a sedan often risks ruining the vehicle's natural proportions, yet Silva's design succeeds through careful structural balance. Retaining the signature fastback roofline and muscular stance of the hard-topped Mustang without appearing stretched or front-heavy is commendable, and the same can be said about the swept-back greenhouse. Look forward to the Mach-4 hitting showrooms in 2028 as a 2029 model.

By: Bogdan Popa

Rockstar is spending high dollars on a CIA-inspired strategy to prevent leaks, but it looks like it is just money thrown out the window.

New GTA 6 videos have leaked, revealing juicy details like a new “Focus” ability and car physics that could use improvement before launch day.

Meanwhile, AirTags are slowly but surely becoming must-have car gadgets. A hidden tracker helped police recover a stolen truck and 20 cats. In another case, this pill-shaped gadget stepped in when police cameras didn’t work, providing officers with the live location of a stolen vehicle.

New updates are out for Android Auto users. Version 17.5 is now available for users, and Google has just confirmed a long overdue patch to correct random disconnects.

Google has also announced large vehicle routing for commercial customers, allowing companies to integrate a new API into their apps for truck navigation. The new engine takes more data into account when looking for routes, including vehicle size and cargo dimensions for large vehicle routes. This is a sign that truck navigation might be coming to Google Maps, but Google has so far remained tight-lipped regarding its plans on this front in the consumer space.

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