Jeep's Current Lineup Seems Great, so Why Aren't They Selling?

Welcome to autoevolution weekly, here’s a quick run-down of what you can read in this issue.

Let’s start by looking at Jeep’s current lineup and why the Wrangler is the only model that seems to be selling well.

Next, we discuss the apparent demise of 600cc supersport bikes and why that’s probably for the best.

A few weeks back we talked at length about SAE Level 3 autonomous driving systems, now let’s do the same for Level 4.

If you’re into muscle cars, this next article is for you: we pick the five most iconic classic muscle car front-ends (say that quickly 3 times in a row!).

When it comes to spy photos, it looks like a new Slantnose 911 might be coming, even though the mule used by Porsche for the prototype is a little strange.

Finally, AI is coming to your car, courtesy of Gemini and Android Auto.

PS: if this newsletter was forwarded to you, here’s a handy link if you’d like to subscribe yourself.

Table of Contents

• Editorial: Jeep's Current Lineup Seems Great, so W …

• 600cc Supersport Bikes Are Basically Dead - Why Am …

• Understanding Level 4 Autonomous Driving Systems

• 5 Most Iconic Classic Muscle Car Front Ends

• Is That a New Slantnose 911? (spy photos)

• Gemini AI is Coming (to Your Car)

• The finish line

Editorial: Jeep's Current Lineup Seems Great, so Why Aren't They Selling?

By: Benny Kirk

There seems to be a growing feeling among “car people” that the entire Stellantis group is being held aloft by just the Jeep Wrangler. On the face of it, there's good reason to call this an accurate statement. Nothing says wealth and prosperity like a $2.7 billion operational loss in just half a year, right? The thing is, should it be this way? Especially regarding Jeep.

Just for a moment, let's take away the one-model brands that may or may not be dead weight for Stellantis right now. Instead, let's just look at Jeep in a vacuum. If you ask me, they have one of the most robust and varied model lineups of any SUV-focused brand. So why is everyone besides the Wrangler seemingly treading water sales-wise, never advancing significantly?

More to the point, will the arrival of the all-new Cherokee change things in Jeep's favor? Looking at the Jeep website's vehicle lineup puts things in perspective. First click, and you're met with an ensemble of off-roaders that cover the bases from the budget-friendly to the uber-luxurious and the all-electric Wagoneer S. Then there's the appealing Gladiator pickup, and what seems like Stellantis' only current moneymaker, the Wrangler.

But right away, you'll notice that a few of the 11 selections are variations of a single model. It's the case with the two-row, three-row, and the 4xe variants of the Grand Cherokee, plus the standard Wrangler and the Wrangler 4xe. Don't forget, the Gladiator is essentially a Wrangler with a truck bed, and the flagship Grand Wagoneer is a more luxurious Wagoneer riding on the same platform.

With this in mind, what looks like a sprawling lineup of 11 models is more like five or six different platforms. This alone isn't an inherent detractor, but it does feel like another instance of using just a few platforms to make a vast dealership portfolio. Think of the old Chrysler K-cars from back in the '80s, but with a ton more screens this time.

It wouldn't be the first time Chrysler wriggled out of certain doom using this trick, back when Lee Iacocca was in charge. Rather, my biggest gripe is what happens when you click on the trim sheet for some of these Jeeps.

 Just take the two-row Grand Cherokee, a universally beloved nameplate with no less than nine trims to pick from, the base of which doesn't even have four-wheel drive. This doesn't count the three-row Grand Cherokee or the exciting 4xe drivetrain with its own trims. Sure, variety is the spice of life, but social media gurus don't sing the praises of moderation for no reason.

I don't know about you, but I think the American consumer doesn't have time to memorize the nuances of nine different trims, possibly when you have three or four different platforms from compact to full-size staring you in the face. Trust me, it's not just the Grand Cherokee that's like this. The Wagoneer carries no less than seven trims for 2025, plus four more for the Grand Wagoneer riding the same modified Ram 1500 chassis.

Note: this is an abridged version, you can find the full article on our site.

600cc Supersport Bikes Are Basically Dead - Why Am I Not Surprised?

By: Sergiu Tudose

Bikes have always intrigued me. I guess maybe because my dad used to own one in his youth, and so did my grandfather. I still admire them up close and from afar, but I’ve also been slowly watching the 600cc supersport category "evolve" to the point where today it’s basically extinct.

There are plenty of parallels between that and what’s happened to various cars throughout the decades – more specifically car engines. Emissions regulations have reshaped the industry in ways that often don’t favor the driver.

Take diesels, for instance, where exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems and particulate filters were introduced to meet stricter standards, but they’ve also made engines more complex, more failure-prone, and often less satisfying to own. The same goes for performance models with gasoline engines. Downsizing became the norm with big, naturally aspirated V8 units making way for smaller alternatives.

It’s the same story with these 600cc supersport bikes. Regulations and costs have forced bikemakers to rethink their approach to this segment and the result is something that may still look the part, but it doesn’t quite scratch that same itch. Not really.

For decades, the 600cc supersport bike was the benchmark for performance and agility. If you rode in the late 1990s or 2000s, names like these are seared into your memory: Yamaha R6, Honda CBR600RR, Kawasaki ZX-6R, Suzuki GSX-R600. Track bikes tamed just enough for the street, with screaming inline-fours revving past 14,000 rpm.

The 600cc supersport was in its prime in the late 2000s. That’s when Japanese bikemakers were pouring all those millions into R&D, to rapidly innovate chassis design, suspension, all that good stuff. But then, the walls started closing in and it all began with tightening emissions and noise standards – particularly in Europe.

Those high-revving inline fours are inherently “dirty” at the top end, and re-engineering them to comply with emissions standards was expensive. For Yamaha, it wasn’t worth it altogether, hence the discontinuation of the legendary R6 (survived only by the track-specific R6 Race).

By the mid-2010s, a new 600cc supersport bike cost nearly as much as a liter bike, so you can understand why people were hesitant to spend $12,000 on a CBR600RR when you could have gotten a Fireblade liter bike for $14,000. In some places, insurance costs were similar too.

The so-called middleweight category looks very different today. Instead of those high-strung inline-fours, the space is dominated by parallel twins and triples. The bikes still look the same, aesthetically, but they are not the same at all.

Instead of the Yamaha R6, you now have the R7, which is a parallel twin, emphasizing midrange torque and lower costs. It doesn’t rev as high, but the performance is more accessible. Same goes for the Aprilia RS 660 or the Ninja 650. In terms of triples, you can look at the likes of the Triumph Daytona 660 and the CFMoto 675SS.

There are some inline-four survivors out there, like the Kawasaki ZX-6R or the “re-introduced” and Euro 5-compliant CBR600RR, but they’re down on horsepower and performance compared to their predecessors. They’re also down in terms of development and tech, compared to newer models.

So, while the 600cc supersport bike may not be all the way dead (might as well be, though), the way it has evolved is to nobody’s liking. Ah, why do I even care?

Note: for the full version of the article, please continue reading on our site.

Understanding Level 4 Autonomous Driving Systems

By: Mircea Panait

Many cars in production today can be had with Level 2 hardware and software for partial autonomy. A chosen few promise Level 2+ capabilities. Even fewer are truly Level 3, which is the difficult first step to full driving automation.

Honda was the first automaker to lease cars with Level 3 capability, but alas, the Legend Hybrid EX has been discontinued. BMW and Mercedes, however, will gladly sell you Level 3 full-size luxury sedans. The Stuttgart-based automaker is currently upgrading its DRIVE PILOT system to Level 4 in China, with plans to deploy the next iteration of DRIVE PILOT in series-production vehicles by decade's end.

No such vehicle is available for retail sales today, but vehicles with Level 4 automation do exist. Let's take a closer look at Level 4 or near-L4 systems that should be on your radar.

GM / Cruise

Founded in October 2013, Cruise LLC became a subsidiary of General Motors in March 2016. The largest of the Detroit Big Three needed Cruise in order to make refinements to Super Cruise (a Level 2 system that rolled out in September 2017 with the 2018 Cadillac CT6), while Cruise needed GM’s help to gain robotaxi testing permits.

Following the RP-1 kit and the Chevrolet Bolt EV-based AV, Cruise revealed the Origin driverless vehicle in January 2020. It wasn't meant to be, though, because the Level 4 system used by Cruise probed a bit problematic in real-world driving scenarios.

In recent years, Cruise was hindered by recalls and software-related concerns prompted by a plethora of incidents and the California DMV suspended their self-driving vehicle permits in October 2023.

Today, GM no longer fancies robotaxi tech and services, but Cruise isn't dead for good. Everything that General Motors gained from Cruise will be used to elevate Super Cruise to Level 3.

Waymo Driver

Similar to Cruise, Waymo uses geofencing to define strict operational areas for Level 4-equipped vehicles. Waymo Driver is presently switching to sixth-generation hardware. Its primary selling points are reduced costs and more capabilities than ever before through more resolution, computing power, and range.

Specifically, it uses 13 cameras, 6 radar sensors, 4 lidar sensors, and external audio receivers. These components provide Waymo Driver with 360-degree overlapping fields of view in a range of weather conditions, up to 500 meters or 1,640 feet away.

Controlled by Google parent company Alphabet, the undisputed leader in American autonomous driving technologies currently operates over 1,500 robotaxis in Atlanta, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin, and plans to bring Waymo One to Washington, D.C. and Miami.

In May 2025, the company announced that Waymo One provides more than 250,000 paid trips each week. Earlier this year, Waymo received the final batch of I-Pace vehicles from Jaguar. Through 2026, said electric SUVs will help Waymo's fleet balloon to around 3,500 vehicles.

For more info about current/upcoming Level 4 systems from Tesla (Robotaxi), Navya mobility, Baidu (Apollo), WeRide, Nuro, MOIA (Volkswagen) and Mercedes-Benz (DRIVE PILOT L4), please continue reading on our site.

5 Most Iconic Classic Muscle Car Front Ends

By: Vlad Radu

During the 1960s, Detroit's Big Three was engaged in a hard-fought horsepower war. Since Pontiac introduced the GTO package for the Tempest/LeMans range in 1964, most brands introduced epic high-performance versions of their intermediate, pony cars and even compacts.

Some stood out in terms of straight-line performance, while others also drew buyers to their respective brands' dealerships with an aggressive yet gorgeous exterior design. Among those, the following five muscle cars flaunted mean-mugging front ends that have become iconic. 

1971 Plymouth HEMI 'Cuda

The Barracuda was introduced by Plymouth in 1964, a few weeks earlier than the Mustang, which it ended up competing against in the new pony car segment. "Competed" is a big word, however, since the 'Cuda was outsold by the ultra-popular Ford from the get-go.

Plymouth improved the model slightly during the first model years, but by the end of the 1960s, it was clear that a major redesign was needed. That redesign came in 1970 when the Chrysler division unleashed the gorgeous second-generation 'Cuda on public roads.

A year later, the model got another slight styling revamp that included an all-new front grille. Thanks to that update, the 1971 'Cuda became one of the most aggressive-looking rides of the era and also one of the most iconic.

It also went down as the last 'Cuda that could be ordered with the legendary 425-hp, 426-ci (7.0-liter) street HEMI. With that V8 engine under the hood, the 'Cuda was the most potent muscle car available that year.

1969 Dodge Charger R/T

Dodge released the Charger during the 1966 model year as a fastback coupe spin-off of the Coronet B-body intermediate. The Charger was heavily inspired by the successful AMC Marlin, but in the years that followed in crept into muscle car territory.

The model's first major redesign came in 1968, giving it a fresh new body and a new performance-oriented identity. A year later, Dodge introduced a series of small design changes. Among those was a revised grille with so-called hidden headlights, which would make the 1969 Charger's front end arguably the most iconic of the era.

The 1969 Charger was available with a series of potent V8 engines, among which was, of course, the 426 HEMI. When equipped with the HEMI, or the 440-ci (7.2-liter) Six-Pack, the Charger was a lethal straight-line performer.

Today, the 1969 Charger remains one of the most iconic and most sought-after muscle cars of the golden age, and its aggressive front end continues to fascinate new generations of enthusiasts.

For the other three cars, please continue reading on our site.

Is That a New Slantnose 911? (spy photos)

By: Mircea Panait

The internal combustion Defender will receive an electric sibling no later than 2027. Unofficially dubbed Baby Defender, the unibody sport utility vehicle is every bit a Defender in the looks department, beginning with its upright face and boxy silhouette. Given the bumper design and the ground clearance of the latest prototype spied by our carparazzi, it should be swell in off-the-beaten-path scenarios as well.

German automaker Porsche has embraced a lesser degree of electrification for the 911, and this weight-conscious electrification technology could easily be adopted by the supposed revival of the Slantnose. Clearly based on a 991-series Neunelfer, the Slantnose prototype in question is likely a limited-run special edition with RS power and chassis bits. Which RS variant of the 911, that remains to be seen.

Audi Sport also has got you covered with a plug-in hybrid take on the RS 6. The next-generation bruiser is coming in two body styles with over 700 horsepower to its name, total system output figure that should not come as a surprise. BMW M has already cracked into the 700s with the M5, and we also have to remember that plug-in hybrids are heavy vehicles by default.

Still, arguably the most intriguing prototype our spy photographers caught in this past week is a white-painted Golf R with serious cooling improvements. Think revised front bumper, a different radiator, and vents in the hood. Its brake discs and roof-mounted spoiler are different from the standard R as well.

Believed to be called Golf R 350, the mysterious variant is presumably hiding the 2.0-liter TSI underhood. 350 stands for 350 ps (345 hp), and that's too little of a maximum output number to bother shoehorning the RS 3's inline-five turbo in the engine bay. On the other hand, there is talk about a send-off edition of the Mk8.5 Golf with the 2.5-liter TFSI that is also used by the Cupra brand's Formentor VZ5.

Gemini AI is Coming (to Your Car)

By: Bogdan Popa

Android Auto was the hottest topic this week in the car tech space, thanks to code hidden in version 15. While the release of a major new version is no big news in Google's nomenclature, the latest Android Auto build includes evidence of the imminent Gemini release.

Google Assistant will soon get the ax, and the AI-powered Gemini will take over its duties with modern capabilities. One is access to precise location information, which we assume will power features like access to nearby POIs.

Android Auto is also getting further visual polishing, including dull accent colors replacing the vibrant and likely more distracting styling.

Working for Google isn't always as exciting as it sounds, and a Google Maps team that tried to survey a location in India found this out the hard way. Locals believed the Google staff was there to take photos of their houses and plan a theft, so they assaulted the car and beat up the occupants. Police rescued the Google workers, but it's safe to assume the region's Google Maps data won't get an update anytime soon.

No week without the Kia Boys, as teenagers continue to hit Kias and Hyundais parked outside. Police in Pennsylvania warned of an uptick in thefts targeting the two brands, so for God's sake, get your car patched before it's too late.

Congratulations for reaching the finish line!

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