The Ferrari Luce Interior Is Bold, Classy, and Completely Ridiculous

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Table of Contents

• The Ferrari Luce Interior Is Bold, Classy, and Com …

• The Most Anticipated Sensible Cars, Trucks, and SU …

  • 2026 Kia K4 Hatchback

  • 2026 Mazda CX-5

  • 2027 Chevrolet Bolt

• Everything We Know About the Rivian R2 Before the …

• 2027 Toyota Highlander BEV: How Does It Stack Agai …

• Spy Shots and Renderings of the Week

• It’s True: Motorola M1 Successor Is Almost Here

• The finish line 🏁

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The Ferrari Luce Interior Is Bold, Classy, and Completely Ridiculous

By: Sergiu Tudose

I don’t know about you, but I’m a little unsettled by the Ferrari Luce. Scratch that. Just the interior design, because we still don’t have a clue what the exterior is going to look like. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling that it won’t properly reflect what’s going on in the cabin, and that’s only because the cabin itself is freaking weird for 2026.

You’ve seen the interior, right? And no, your eyes do not deceive you. It looks like an iPad had a baby with a Jeep. What’s with that rectangular-looking upper dashboard? Or those rudimentary air vents? Isn’t this supposed to be an Italian exotic? A luxury car? A six-figure car? This looks more like a concept than anything else, and not a Ferrari concept, mind you.

What we get instead, with this interior, is a lot of... geometry. It’s like it was designed in a laboratory instead of a whiteboard – which makes sense when you look at who the designer was. None other than Sir Jony Ive, artisan of the iPhone, iPad, and various other Apple products (back in the day).

Another reason why this is weird, for me at least, is the lack of atmosphere. Brands like Ferrari are supposed to make you feel special, dramatizing every inch of your ownership experience. I “get” the design language, I’m not dense. But where’s the soul? A lot of question marks, I know!

Then there’s the feeling of luxury. Or even just perceived luxury, which often comes from saturation – different layers of leather, contrast stitching, and so on. Mercedes-Benz designers know a thing or two about that. They tend to create a sensory overload that makes you feel special.

If it were up to me, the interior of the Luce would have mirrored the one in the Purosangue, to some extent. Not identical, but the same type of design philosophy.

Then there’s issue of its direct rivals. Again, we’re not exactly sure what type of vehicle this is – we know it’s a four-door sports car of sorts, but that could mean anything. So, I’m guessing it’s probably a crossover? Or maybe some type of Taycan rival? Either way, you’re going to have to compare this interior with that of rivals from Porsche, possibly even Lucid or Mercedes-Benz. And don’t forget that Bentley is developing an EV, too.

I’m fairly sure that compared to everything else out there, the Luce will feel a great deal more restrained, and not necessarily in a good way. People looking to step into a car that communicates richness and luxury might find themselves wondering just where all that R&D money went. And not because the build quality is poor (I’m sure it’s not), but rather because the overall atmosphere is so... clinical.

I know we usually applaud carmakers for zigging instead of zagging, trying fewer or smaller displays, going back to physical controls, but nobody asked for this, did they? I applaud them for wanting to preserve a certain “something” while adapting to an electric future. It’s admirable. But I fear they simply went too far with it.

Then there’s the argument about such a design being timeless. Sure, fair enough. But will the whole car be timeless, too? I don’t think so. This is an EV, after all, and EVs age differently compared to traditional performance cars – powertrains get better, battery life gets better, charging speeds, software, and so on.

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

For another take on this subject, see Gustavo Ruffo’s editorial piece as well.

The Most Anticipated Sensible Cars, Trucks, and SUVs Coming in 2026

By: Mircea Panait

The average new car transaction price in the United States reached highs of more than $50,000s in 2025. In light of the aforementioned, sensible vehicles are more relevant than ever before. And in this context, sensible is the word to describe vehicles that actually fit into our budgets.

Model year 2026 marks a critical junction for the American and European automotive industries. Over in the United States, the era of the $20,000 new car officially ended with the discontinuation of the Nissan Versa. As for the Old Continent, increasingly stringent emission and safety regulations resulted in more standard equipment that ultimately hiked retail prices dramatically.

From the nimble city dwellers of Europe to larger-than-life pickups that barely fit European parking spaces, 2026 will bring forth plenty of relatively affordable vehicles that are worth considering. Let's take a look at 10 vehicles that are bringing the future down to earth. Our first pick is the smallest car to make our list, and its retro styling cues alone make it hard to resist.

2026 Kia K4 Hatchback

Building on its hugely popular sedan counterpart, the K4 Hatchback is a breath of fresh air in a market dominated by crossovers and trucks. A compelling machine that stands out from its C-segment rivals with class-leading legroom and headroom for the rear passengers, the K4 Hatchback further sweetens the deal with more cargo space than the more affordable K4 Sedan.

Priced at $24,990 before taxes, which makes the hatchback $2,700 more expensive than the sedan, the newest member of the K4 family in the US market boasts up to 22.2 cubic feet (629 liters) behind the rear seats instead of 14.6 cubic feet (413 liters) for the sedan. Folding them unlocks a massive 59.3 cubic feet (1,679 liters), and the generous opening of the rear hatch is preferred for hauling larger items.

2026 Mazda CX-5

Now arriving at US dealers nationwide, the redesigned CX-5 remains a sensible choice for those who are looking for a premium crossover without the luxury price tag. The 2026 redesign takes that formula to the next level with a wider stance, a longer wheelbase, the sleekest Kodo design language yet, and a massive tech boost for the interior.

Available with a 15.6-inch touchscreen, the redesigned CX-5 also prides itself on Google built-in services. The compact-sized crossover soldiers on with independent rear suspension as opposed to a torsion-beam solution for the CX-50 that Mazda assembles with pride in the United States of America. Hailing from Japan, the CX-5 also had its center console command dial removed in favor of a full touch input, as expected from a 2026 model.

2027 Chevrolet Bolt

Now en route to dealers across North America, the second coming of the Bolt won't be produced for long. The reason why the new Bolt will be canned after 18 months isn't exactly surprising. Advertised from the very beginning as a limited-run model, the Bolt will die yet again because GM wants two assemble two sport utility vehicles at the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kansas.

The culprits are the Chevrolet Equinox and the Buick Envision, which are currently made in Mexico and China. With tariff costs on the rise for both fully assembled vehicles and car parts, you can't really blame General Motors for switching to US production. Having cleared that up, the Bolt is one of the cheapest new battery-electric vehicles that you can buy right now. Prices kick off at $28,595 in the United States, and the driving range is anything but shabby for such a small vehicle. 

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

Everything We Know About the Rivian R2 Before the March 12 Reveal

By: Cristian Agatie

The automotive industry has generally been air-tight for newcomers, due to a high price of entry. This has changed with the rise of electric vehicles, especially Tesla's success. Elon Musk's company not only built a car with no prior experience in car manufacturing but did so successfully. The Model Y has quickly become the best-selling car in the world, regardless of the powertrain.

This success encouraged many others to try their luck at building electric cars. Not all have succeeded, with a long line of bodies left along the way. Lordstown Motors, Nikola, Canoo, Proterra, and Fisker are among the high-profile bankruptcies. Meanwhile, Lucid Motors and Rivian have proven more resilient, despite difficulties.

Both had something that other EV startups hadn't: the backing of wealthy billionaires and powerful companies. For Rivian, it was Ford and Amazon, though the former exited before realizing a return on its investment. For Lucid Motors, it was Saudi Arabia's Private Investment Fund (PIF). These investors ensured they had substantial cash reserves to cushion against market difficulties. However, neither company is yet profitable. 

Rivian is arguably in better shape than Lucid, thanks to stronger EV sales and a bet on software that is now starting to pay off. Indeed, Rivian reported impressive software revenue in 2025, which helped it partially offset losses from its automotive division.

Rivian started with two luxury EVs, the R1S SUV and R1T pickup truck, trying to mirror Tesla's strategy. However, the timing was off, and the conditions Tesla had when it put its famous master plans into action were no longer present. When Rivian started selling the R1 vehicles, the market was already moving away from spending six-figure amounts on electric vehicles. 

That's why moving to more affordable models was crucial, although not trivial. Rivian unveiled the R2 in March 2024 and has been working on the production variant since then. The EV startup will announce the final specifications and pricing on March 12, although customers will have to wait a little longer before the first cars are delivered. Here's everything we know about the car that will make or break Rivian.

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

2027 Toyota Highlander BEV: How Does It Stack Against Rivals and America's EV Laziness?

By: Aurel Niculescu

Toyota Motor North America, following years of EV growth all around it and a strategic stagnation, is now all of a sudden pushing the pedal to the metal with battery electric vehicles, just as the market is visibly cooling down because of tariffs and the lack of incentives.

Last year, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) finished in the habitual runner-up position behind General Motors’ 2.85 million sales performance. The Japanese automaker’s subsidiary, meanwhile, reached a grand total of 2.518 million units with just two brands instead of four and a rise of more than eight percent instead of six. Alas, it wasn’t enough to catch up to GM.

As always, hybrids played an integral part in the company’s performance, as Toyota and Lexus are not only well known for their reliability but also for their electrified powertrains. No less than 1,183,248 units of the grand total were electrified models, and sales of this sector jumped almost 18 percent, a tremendous performance. However, the lonely EV didn’t help, quite the contrary.

Toyota announced a mid-cycle refresh for its 2026 Toyota bZ compact crossover SUV produced on a battery EV architecture alongside with the Subaru Solterra and also made the name a little easier to palate. It didn’t help much, despite the major updates, which include a 50% power hike for the dual-motor AWD model to 338 hp and a bigger range of 314 miles FWD and 288 miles AWD.

In fact, out of almost 1.2 million electrified sales, the Toyota bZ posted just 15,609 unit sales, down almost 16 percent compared to 2024. And yet, Toyota is continuously expanding the North American EV roster and introduces for the 2026 model year the bZ Woodland with a larger footprint, and also brought back the C-HR nameplate as a BEV coupe-SUV model.

But wait, as there’s more! The company has now reimagined the 2027 Toyota Highlander for its fifth generation, complete with a “head-turning style, elevated comfort, and all-electric powertrain.” This is a significant departure from its predecessors, as the fourth generation Toyota Highlander was also offered as a three-row SUV named Grand Highlander. Now, there’s an overlap because the 2027 Highlander BEV is way larger and has seating for up to seven people, along with more than 45 cubic feet of rear storge with the third-row folded flat!

While the current 2026 Toyota Highlander is produced at TMMI in Princeton, Indiana, alongside the Grand Highlander, the new 2027 Toyota Highlander BEV will be assembled at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, while the battery modules will be put together at the newly opened Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina (TBMNC) Battery Plant and a partner supplier in the US.

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

Spy Shots and Renderings of the Week

By: Mircea Panait

Mercedes is finally coming to its senses with the four-pot turbo experiment nobody called for. Due to extremely poor sales and the incoming Euro 7 regulations, the 2.0-liter engine of the C 43 and C 63 is going the way of the dodo in favor of a 3.0-liter unit with two additional cylinders.

Coming to dealers for the 2027 model year, the Mercedes-AMG C 53 has been spied winter testing with little in the way of visual changes from the pre-facelift C 43 and C 63. The biggest changes of the lot come in the form of starry headlights and new signature lighting for the rears, although it's too early to tell if three-pointed stars are featured out back as well.

Believed to make the very same 443 horsepower as the recently introduced GLC 53, the C 53 should also surprise us with better infotainment and more physical controls. With a bit of luck, the next iteration of the C-Class will borrow heavily from the interior of the 2027 model year S-Class. If there is a case to be made for a new C 63, a flat-plane V8 seems likely.

—

BMW has been a little busy as well this past week. The carparazzi have spotted a facelifted M5 in Sweden, with said prototype showing a pair of slimmer headlights and kidney grilles. A different lower fascia is also coming to the mid-size performance sedan and wagon, namely a fascia that integrates multiple vertical sections for the lower air intakes.

Despite being covered in snow, the M5 Touring development vehicle in question exhibits different signature lighting out back. Bigger updates await inside, where the iDrive controller will be discontinued in favor of iDrive X with Panoramic Vision. The new setup will also give way to a techier steering wheel that may put off a few prospective customers.

In the suck-squeeze-bang-blow department, the M5 twins will lose a bit of internal combustion muscle this year due to Euro 7 regulations. But in typical BMW fashion, the German automaker has upped the peak output numbers of the electric drive system to compensate for the less powerful tune of the S68 twin-turbo V8. In the facelift's case, a Competition-like specification is expected to headline the 2028 model year M5 Sedan and M5 Touring.

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Porsche hasn't been sitting idly either. First spotted at the Nurburgring last year, a more extreme version of the Taycan Turbo GT Weissach Package is being developed for model year 2027. Potentially called Taycan GT4 RS, the track-capable electric sedan has been cold-weather testing with a full roll cage and the already ubiquitous rear seat delete option.

The 2027 Taycan GT4 RS integrates plenty of motorsport-style parts, including 911 GT3 RS-style air guides behind the front wheel arches. The rear wheel arches benefit from their own kind of aerodynamic trickery, albeit the real star here is the ginormous rear wing.

Supposedly developed with input from Manthey Racing, the most hardcore Taycan of all may be a special edition that Porsche intends to make in limited numbers. In any case, look forward to a pricier machine than the already expensive Taycan Turbo GT Weissach Package. Similar to its cleaner sibling, the Weissach starts at $243,700 in the United States market.

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Pixel meister Nikita Chuicko is the virtual artist who deserves a shout-out in our latest newsletter due to his digital interpretation of the 2027 Hyundai Santa Fe. Using revealing spy photos of the real thing, the gentleman who goes by Kelsonik on social media rendered a very realistic sport utility vehicle with a plethora of Palisade-inspired styling traits.

The sharper cues of the family-sized crossover will be joined by more efficient powertrains, though it's too early to get excited about an extended-range electric option. On the other hand, Hyundai could very well ditch the plug-in hybrid Santa Fe for an EREV if there is enough space to integrate the generator, high-voltage pack, and two electric drive units.

Beyond the revised look and Euro 7-compliant powertrains, the Santa Fe is also transitioning from the South Korean automaker's current infotainment solutions to Pleos Connect. By the end of the decade, the Android Automotive-based system will be deployed in more than 20 million vehicles globally.

It’s True: Motorola M1 Successor Is Almost Here

By: Bogdan Popa

Many people believe the Android Auto wireless adapter market has reached its saturation point, but the makers of these devices certainly think otherwise. Motorola Sound is working on a new adapter, tentatively called MA2, and a leak provided us with a closer look at this improved device. 

AAWireless TWO, often considered the world's best Android Auto wireless dongle, received a major discount, possibly in an attempt to move the attention from its rival.

We've known for a while that the tech and car spaces are coming together nicely, but Toyota has just found a unique way of doing it. The company launched Fluorite, a proprietary gaming engine that will allow developers to create games for cars. What Toyota has in mind for this piece of technology is unclear, but this is the first carmaker to ever release a gaming engine.

Google keeps working on refining Google Maps, and the latest update includes a hint that Android Auto will soon get a feature they've long been drooling over. Google Maps on Android Auto will allow users to customize the vehicle icons directly from their car's screen. It sounds ridiculous to get this update in 2026, but it's probably better late than never.

Congratulations for reaching the finish line!

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