The demise of the Tesla Model S and Model X

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Table of Contents

• The Demise of the Model S and Model X Is the Begin …

• EuroNCAP Says All-New Electric Mercedes CLA Is Sup …

• The Top 30 Best-Selling Cars, SUVs, and Trucks of …

• 2027 Kia Telluride: How Does the $39,190 MSRP Thre …

• Spy Shots and Renderings of the Week

• Airtag2 Is Here and It Looks the Same. But Is It?

• The finish line 🏁

The Demise of the Model S and Model X Is the Beginning of the End for Tesla

By: Cristian Agatie

Not so long ago, Tesla changed the company's mission for the third time in its history. Tesla started its journey to "accelerate the advent of sustainable transport" with the Roadster, Model S, and Model X. With the Master Plan Part Deux, this changed to "accelerate the advent of sustainable energy," accommodating its solar generation and energy storage business. 

More recently, Master Plan Part 3 changed the mission again to building "a world of sustainable abundance," only to change it again just weeks ago to "amazing abundance." Unlike the original mission, which was abundantly clear (pun intended), this doesn't mean anything, and it's just corporate mumbo jumbo. However, the changes made in its name are significant. 

Tesla made it clear that it's no longer interested in electric vehicles. However, until now, the "no longer a carmaker" mantra has mostly been just rhetoric to deflect attention from the plummeting EV sales. However, everything changed when Tesla announced that the Model S and Model X would no longer be produced after June 2026. 

The Model S and Model X were Tesla's first EVs developed in-house almost from the ground up. The former has more than sentimental value for Tesla fans, as it was the car that revolutionized the auto industry and changed the way people relate to electric vehicles. It may have secured a place in automotive history, but this won't change its undignified demise. 

However, Musk obviously sees these iconic EVs as people often see their old relatives who refuse to die. He talked about freeing the production space in Fremont to make way for the Optimus production line. That's not different from some people who can barely wait for the passing of their older relatives to use their room for a new project, like a library or a dressing room. 

The Model S and Model X are just the beginning. Musk made it clear that he doesn't want Tesla to produce anything other than autonomous vehicles. This means that the Model 3 and Model Y will also die an agonizing death, with modest updates and no meaningful engineering upgrades, until they become unsellable.

Note: There’s lots more coming up, for the full article please continue on our site. 

EuroNCAP Says All-New Electric Mercedes CLA Is Super Safe. But From What?

By: Sergiu Tudose

Let me start off by saying that EuroNCAP is extremely useful for comparing how well vehicles mitigate specific crash forces. However, what this independent European organization cannot do is guarantee any real-world outcomes when vehicles of different sizes and mass collide with each other.

I’m really glad the CLA just claimed one of the biggest safety titles a modern car can get. EuroNCAP deemed it the safest car tested in 2025 – the full five-star treatment. To get there, Mercedes engineers had to develop and install state-of-the-art safety and assistance systems into the all-new, battery-electric CLA.

Now comes the uncomfortable question nobody in automotive media wants to linger on. "So what?"

Real-world safety doesn’t exist in a vacuum. EuroNCAP does a crucial job, as far as I’m concerned. They measure how well a car protects its occupants in a defined set of crashes, from offset frontal impacts to pole tests, pedestrian protection and so on. Unfortunately, they can’t measure things like what would happen when your five-star compact electric sedan meets a 2.2-ton SUV head-on at real-world speeds.

The reality of European roads is this: cars are getting bigger (taller to be precise), and because the roads aren’t as wide as in the States, people still use compact-class vehicles and even superminis to travel long distances. Not everyone can afford a city car plus a vacation car, so most people still end up using something like a VW Golf or in this case, a CLA EV to drive both in urban and extra-urban environments.

Cars today rely heavily on active safety systems, and for good reason. Technologies like automatic emergency braking, lane centering, adaptive cruise control, and cross-traffic alert prevent accidents that could have been considered inevitable as recently as 10-15 years ago. The problem is that active safety only matters before impact, not after.

Once avoidance is no longer possible, it’s all down to passive safety, meaning structure, mass, and crumple zones, which is where larger vehicles carry an unquestionable advantage. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you why extra mass equals more safety. So, calling a compact car the “safest car tested” sounds too definitive to my ear.

I still think that the driver should be the first line of defense against a crash. As of today, active safety systems can’t do a better job at avoiding an impact than an attentive driver. When people ask me what type of car they should get if safety is a top 3 concern for them, I always lobby for height, mass or a decent mixture of both.

You also want a perfect marriage between active and passive safety, and if you have to lean one way or the other, I’d suggest you lean towards the passive side.

Bet on yourself, not your software. Instead of the latest and greatest driver assistance tech in a compact sedan or hatchback package, opt for the compact SUV alternative, even if it’s missing one or two gizmos, like something for attention awareness or maybe even cross-traffic alert or lane centering.

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

The Top 30 Best-Selling Cars, SUVs, and Trucks of 2025

By: Mircea Panait

Now that 2025 gave way to 2026, it's high time for us to delve into best-selling cars, sport utility vehicles, and pickup trucks in the United States. What boggles the mind is that not a single European model has managed to crack the top 10s in these categories last year, which says a lot about consumer preferences.…

Even more curiously, the ratio between American and Asian brands may surprise you. Considering that American manufacturers of all things automotive know their market extremely well and Asian companies are quick learners, who here expected a different outcome?

General Motors, which is the largest of the Detroit Big Three, leads the pack with 2,853,299 deliveries in the analyzed 12-month period. Toyota finished in second place with 2,518,071 deliveries and more growth than General Motors, third-placed Ford, and fifth-placed Stellantis. American Honda wrapped up 2025 in fourth place with 1,430,577 deliveries.

As was the case in 2024, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles reign supreme in this part of the world. Certain passenger cars also posted incredibly good numbers, and we'll kick this off with those very cars.

The ranked list is below, read the article for the full details.

1. Toyota Camry: 316,185 deliveries (starting at $29,100)

2. Toyota Corolla: 248,088 deliveries (starting at $22,925)

3. Honda Civic: 238,661 deliveries (starting at $24,695)

4. Tesla Model 3: 172,800 deliveries (starting at $36,990)

5. Nissan Sentra: 152,578 deliveries (starting at $22,600)

6. Honda Accord: 150,196 deliveries (starting at $28,395)

7. Hyundai Elantra: 148,200 deliveries (starting at $22,625)

8. Kia K4 and Forte: 140,514 deliveries (starting at $22,290)

9. Nissan Altima: 93,268 deliveries (starting at $27,000)

10. Hyundai Sonata: 60,094 deliveries (starting at $27,450)

2027 Kia Telluride: How Does the $39,190 MSRP Three-Row CUV Compare to Direct Rivals?

By: Aurel Niculescu

Kia America recently announced the pricing details for the all-new second-generation 2026 Telluride, which was unveiled in November 2025, just in time for the Los Angeles Auto Show's red carpet spotlight.

Believe it or not, in our opinion, the best-improving automotive brand active on the US car market last year wasn't a domestic representative. We know it might be an unpopular view, as General Motors continued to dominate the sales charts with a rise of 6 percent to 2.85 million units, and Ford Motor Company was in third place with over 2.2 million deliveries and an equal surge of 6 percent.

They also had the crowns in some important sectors, including with the Ford F-Series and the Chevy Silverado plus GMC Sierra or the Ford Maverick and Ford Expedition or the Chevy Tahoe plus Suburban and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL plus Cadillac Escalade ruling party. But there was also TMNA (Toyota Motor North America) wedged in between them with the RAV4 in third place overall – despite getting ready to change generations.

So, we simply felt that we couldn't ignore the fourth-placed Kia America (indeed, they achieved that position together with Hyundai Motor America), which posted the highest-ever annual sales in the company's history since it became active in North America. They surpassed the 800k threshold for the first time, selling 852,155 vehicles last year, up seven percent from 2024's record.

Funny enough, the Carnival, Sportage, Telluride, and K4 nameplates each posted best-ever annual sales. For three of them, it was only normal – but the fourth was a surprise. The Carnival MPV was refreshed and introduced a hybrid version, the all-time most popular Sportage launched its facelift this year, and the K4 sedan is brand new, too, as it replaced the Forte moniker.

However, the Kia Telluride, a flagship three-row crossover SUV, shouldn't have sold this well. That's because it now faces internal competition in the form of the all-electric Kia EV9 (sure, after the federal incentives were dropped, it will be a hard sell) and the South Korean automaker announced the second-generation Telluride in November.

Now, as quickly as possible – since the competition isn't dormant – Kia America kicked off the year with the pricing details for the 2027 Kia Telluride just as the Hyundai Motor Group at large was preoccupied with presenting its AI robotics strategy at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Of course, there isn't only great news. That's because the 2025 Kia Telluride had a starting price of $36,390, excluding destination, and the 2027 Telluride now has a starting MSRP of $39,190.

Note: please continue reading the full article on our site.

Spy Shots and Renderings of the Week

By: Mircea Panait

Easily the most technologically relevant internal combustion vehicle of 2026, the refreshed S-Class is a car of many talents. While its plasticky star-motif grille and screen-filled interior may not give off luxury vibes, Mercedes somehow made a case for an engine that nobody saw coming in the world's premier luxury sedan.

Enter the M177 Evo, a flat-plane crank twin-turbo V8 that produces 530 horsepower and 553 pound-feet (750 Newton-meters) in the S 580. This very lump will gain a few more ponies in the S 63, which is coming in the second half of 2026 for the 2027 model year as well. Unfortunately, the first spy photos of the near-production 2027 Mercedes-AMG S 63 don't confirm whether the facelifted thriller is a plug-in hybrid as well.

Given that everyone leverages hybrid assistance to meet Euro 7 regulations and for that near-instant peak torque kick from the electric drive unit, chances are the next iteration of the S 63 will feature an updated plug-in hybrid system. The exterior also benefits from AMG-specific updates, including a snazzier Panamericana grille.  

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While on the subject of German performance sedans, the M3 is also getting an extensive makeover. The internal combustion M3, that is, which is going to be produced in parallel with a four-motor electric M3 based on the iX3's electric vehicle-centric platform. Similar to its zero-emission brother, the G84 adopts Neue Klasse styling cues.

Had it not been for the trademark quad exhaust with round pipes, many would find it hard to differentiate the 2028 BMW M3 from the electric alternative. But look closer, and you will notice longer front and rear ends, along with a longer hood that sits a little higher than the frunk lid of the ZA0. And thankfully, the big-sniff grille is gone in favor of a horizontal kidney grille that integrates the headlights into the radiator grille structure.

Benefitting from box-flared wheel arches, the G84 will disappoint inside due to way too many touch controls. The biggest disappointment, however, will be the lack of a manual option. BMW has already signaled the imminent death of the stick shift in M vehicles, and with the M3 going hybrid, the manual's days are sadly numbered.

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Over in the real world, where regular people like you and I emphasize utility and affordability, Nissan prepares to debut the next-generation Rogue. Known as the X-Trail in Europe and plenty other markets, the front-biased crossover is due for 2027 later this year with styling traits inspired by the unibody Murano and body-on-frame Armada.

The cabins of the premium-oriented crossover and sport utility vehicle are believed to serve as inspiration for the cabin of the Rogue as well, an expectation that should become reality when you realize that Nissan doesn't have too much R&D money to spare. Truth be told, the Japanese manufacturer is currently navigating its most significant financial crisis since Renault came to the rescue in 1999.

Because of the tight R&D funds, the 2027 Nissan Rogue is anticipated to carry the 1.5-liter variable compression turbo inline-three mill of its predecessor. On the upside, a hybrid option is finally coming stateside in the form of a series-hybrid setup where the KR15DDT acts as a generator for the high-voltage battery and the electric drive system.

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South Korea's largest automaker isn't facing money issues, and this couldn't be more obvious when you remember that Hyundai is the world's third-largest automaker by global deliveries. Evocative of the new Palisade in many areas, the 2027 model year Santa Fe isn't only more imposing than its predecessor. It's way smarter as well, and the Seoul-based company also plans to roll out an EREV option.

As implied, the extended-range electric vehicle is basically a battery-electric vehicle with an internal combustion engine that drives a generator. Think of it as the best of both worlds, albeit such complexity is sure to spell trouble in the long run. Expected to pack the 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-four engine of the outgoing Santa Fe, the 2027 Hyundai Santa Fe in EREV flavor is reportedly capable of more than 900 kilometers (560 miles) on a full tank and a full charge.

A modernized fascia and new taillights are on the menu across the board, and Hyundai further intends to replace the ccNC digital cluster and infotainment system with the Pleos Connect architecture. Building on Android Automotive, the Pleos Connect architecture is coming with over-the-air software update capability for critical vehicle systems, not only infotainment updates.

Airtag2 Is Here and It Looks the Same. But Is It?

By: Bogdan Popa

Apple has finally unveiled the AirTag. That's right. This finally happened, obviously later than expected, but the AirTag 2 is now here. It has the same design as its predecessor, costs the same, and uses the same battery. However, it has the iPhone 17 UWB chip, so it offers improved Precision Finding and a longer range. Goodbye, car thieves! Read more in our article.

Meanwhile, Google does what it knows best: look into ways to improve Google Maps. A recent patent application unveils a way to do this. The search firm wants Google Maps to be chatty with a conversational mode. Users would be able to ask follow-up questions to spoken guidance and ask the app to repeat certain instructions. 

Waze, often considered the top Google Maps alternative, made the news with a new old announcement. This isn't a typo, as Waze seemingly tells users that new features are here.  These features landed more than a year ago, so if you get speed bump alerts and speed limit changes on the map, they're not new. 

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