The Global ICE Ban Mandate Was a Total Waste of Time

Dec 21st, 2025

December 21st, 2025

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The Global ICE Ban Mandate Was a Total Waste of Time, but Not Because “I Hate EVs” (I Don’t)

By: Benny Kirk

I never do what anyone tells me to, just ask any of my bosses over the years. Perhaps that's why, as the global attitude towards electric vehicles began to sour, I started to come around to them. Now, the European Commission, the lawmaking branch of the EU, is following the lead of the US in scrapping plans to fully ban the sale of new ICE vehicles as soon as 2035. All the while, I'm just here asking myself "why?"

Why go through all the trouble of forcing the global auto industry down a path of such blatant black and white, good versus evil rhetoric on internal combustion, just to back out halfway through and leave every side involved all the angrier? I'm not going to sit here and tell you I have all the answers. But we can at least look back on the situation and figure out how the heck we got here.

Ford 500e

Of course, worldwide EV mandates didn't start and end uniformly by any means. In North America, Europe, and Asia, governments formulated their own unique strategies to gradually reduce the carbon footprint of their road traffic. In the United States, the first federal mandates regulating fuel economy trace their roots to 1975 with the introduction of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.

Enacted in direct response to the Oil Embargo of 1973 to '74, CAFE standards historically offered considerable incentives for increasing fuel economy, not just for a couple of models, but for the entire range as an average. When these averages weren't met, and there've been more than a few times they haven't, well, let's just say it was a pretty awesome revenue stream for CAFE's operators, the Department of Transportation, and the NHTSA.

Earlier this year, new legislation eliminated the civil penalty portion of CAFE standards enforcement, even if the rules on average fuel economy are still in place on paper. Suffice it to say, CAFE standards, combined with state-to-state electrification mandates in line with the California Air Resources Board's (CARB) tax credit guidelines, gave all the reasons in the world to push EVs on the public. With CARB's Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) now closed and most, if not all, green vehicle incentives now null and void, it's anyone's guess what the appeal of an EV is in the States. 

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

The Only Problem With the Porsche Cayenne

By: Sergiu Tudose

The Cayenne is easily the most fun-to-drive SUV in its class, demonstrating elite levels of performance and overall sharpness on the road. I don’t really hate anything about it, but there is this one thing I dislike that Porsche only recently managed to overcome.

The issue is steering feel, or rather steering philosophy, because we all either know or can imagine what a Porsche should feel like when maneuvering. Except there’s a huge difference between a sports car and an SUV. In an attempt to make the Cayenne the best and sharpest-handling utility vehicle of its class, Porsche engineers ended up making it a little too aggressive in certain scenarios.

The steering ratio, on-center responsiveness, and assist ramp-up are rapid when it comes to the Cayenne. It’s exactly what you want in a 911 or a 718, but in a 2.2-ton SUV while traveling at highway speed on your way to the ski resort? Not so much. The Cayenne will sometimes end up feeling “nervous” rather than reassuring, and the way I’ve described this feeling in the past has been to call it “straight-line vulnerability”.

It’s what happens when “on-center feel” is too sharp, and small corrections translate into immediate lateral movement. You end up feeling as though you’re balancing the car rather than planting it. What’s interesting is that the first-gen Cayenne felt calmer to drive than the second-gen model. And yes, that antiquated hydraulic steering system did help to some degree.

The likes of BMW and Mercedes, and even Audi all tend to tune their SUVs differently. An X5, for example, feels slower on-center than a Cayenne, while a GLE offers even more damping, prioritizing high-speed calmness and a sense that the vehicle simply wants to go perfectly straight, as opposed to flexing its muscles in anticipation of a corner.

Why is this better? Usually, it isn’t. But in an SUV, you want to be able to make as many relaxed micro-corrections as you want without any “lateral drama”. What a hyper-responsive steering rack does is it creates a subconscious tension at cruising speeds, thus increasing driver workload. This is why I’ve always enjoyed vacationing with an X5 or a GLE/ML rather than a Cayenne – goes for either of the two first-gen models.

As for the third-generation Cayenne, well, Porsche still prioritizes an alert steering ratio, but the power steering system seems to feature more artificial damping on-center, so there’s a clearer separation between low-speed agility and high-speed stability. So, if you’re climbing out of a gen-2 Cayenne and into a gen-3 model, you’ll immediately notice the improvement.

This can’t be just me, right? Am I the only one who doesn’t enjoy it when a car’s steering system keeps telling my brain to constantly stay fully engaged? I mean, it’s not a track weapon for crying out loud. It’s a family SUV. I’m guessing I might be in the minority here. But maybe that’s just because I’ve been fortunate enough to often drive these types of vehicles back-to-back.

Today, I’m still a massive fan of Cayenne, and I admire and appreciate all of its iterations. I’m sure I’ll love the Cayenne Electric too – can't wait to get my hands on one; I will be reviewing it for you guys as soon as it becomes available. But, if I was picking out an SUV for myself (long-term ownership), and even if money wasn’t a factor, the Cayenne would probably be either my third of fourth choice.

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

Ford's EV Program in Shambles After Both F-150 Lightning and Its Successor Were Scrapped

By: Cristian Agatie

Over the past couple of months, we've seen Ford CEO Jim Farley on a worldwide media tour to explain why electric vehicles are bad. Farley even signed an op-ed in Financial Times wagging the finger at EU regulators for "setting unrealistic EV regulations." His efforts didn't go in vain, as the EU scrapped plans to ban ICE vehicles in 2035. However, Farley was only warming up investors for the next move he was planning. 

Earlier this week, the bomb exploded when Ford published its new corporate strategy, marking a strategic shift to gas engines and hybrids and away from electric vehicles. Ford sent ripples throughout the automotive industry when it announced a strategic repositioning of its entire EV program. The carmaker would write off $20 billion as part of the process. 

Ford F-150 Lightning assembly line

The Ford F-150 Lightning, whose production was already stopped, will end production for good, and an EREV variant will be built instead at its Rouge EV Center in Dearborn. Details were not announced, making this sound a lot like Stellantis' approach to Ram 1500 (E)REV strategic repositioning. 

The new strategy and the dismissal of the Lightning EV truck mark the end of Ford's large EV program. The official reason offered was that Ford saw no path to profitability, having tried (and failed) to make money on the F-150 Lightning. This means that Lightning's replacement, expected to launch on a dedicated architecture dubbed T3, is also dead. 

There are wide implications to this strategic repositioning, which are affecting not only Ford operations, investors, and customers, but also the US automotive industry at large. Ford suppliers will take a significant hit, and recent news surrounding Ford's battery joint venture with SK On and supply contract with LGES is not pretty. 

There are several reasons why Ford decided to build the F-150 Lightning, why it failed to be profitable, and why it was scrapped without a successor. In most cases, there is more to it than Ford or Jim Farley let us know. Here's everything you should know about the F-150 Lightning drama and what we can expect to happen next.

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

2026 Nissan Altima: How Does the "Immortal" Mid-Size Sedan Fare Against Its Adversaries?

By: Aurel Niculescu

Surprise, surprise! The Nissan Altima nameplate isn't going the way of the dodo, as some outlets from across the rumor mill thought before the 2026 model year's announcement, and gets another shot at glory for the 2026 model year, albeit with caveats.

Let's face it: passenger cars are not what they used to be anymore. Crossovers, SUVs, and trucks – which yield higher profit margins to automakers – are all the rage both among consumers and carmakers. The Big Three Detroit Automakers, for example, have almost abandoned the domestic market in America.

General Motors, the largest of them all, only has the C8 Chevrolet Corvette sports car in the mainstream field, and it's borderline premium material since even the Stingray kicks off at $70k for the 2026 model year, sans destination. The rest of the versions are vying for Cadillac's luxury glory, which is still offered through the CT4 and CT5 sedans, albeit for a limited time.

The Cadillac CT4 will die next year, and only the CT5 will soldier on and even gain an all-new iteration going forward. The Ford Motor Company, meanwhile, only sells the S650 seventh-generation Ford Mustang, and this one starts from around $32k but can also reach the starting price of the Stingray when selecting the Dark Horse Premium model.

And don't even get us started with the $327k Ford Mustang GTD, which is more expensive than a C8 Chevy Corvette ZR1X, although the former only has 815 hp. At the same time, the latter boasts a twin-turbo V8 hybrid setup that's good for a hypercar-killing 1,250 horsepower. Last but not least, there is also Dodge with the eighth-generation Charger, which is offered both as a sedan, like the prior iteration, but also as a fastback coupe, like in the good old days, making the Challenger obsolete and retired.

The Charger also has both ICE (3.0-liter Hurricane twin-turbo inline-six) and EV powertrains, by the way. Then there are the Asian automakers, which don't mind standing alone on the battlefield and propose a wide variety of passenger cars. Among them is Nissan, which recently updated the Altima mid-size sedan for the 2026 model year.

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

Spy Photos and Renderings of the Week

By: Mircea Panait

It's been a busy week in the Touring realm, beginning with BMW's forthcoming Life Cycle Impulse for the 5 Series Touring. The latest prototype of the family-oriented body style is a particularly interesting specimen because it marks a noticeable shift in styling from previous 2028 BMW 5 Series prototypes.

Although Neue Klasse influences are still there, the Bavarian automaker has toned them down a lot from previous iterations. While it's hard to guess the design team's reasoning behind these changes, the minimalist interior of the iX3 will carry over to the 5 Series.

Due to enter production in 2027, the facelifted sedan and wagon should also soldier on with familiar combustion and electric options, albeit with a slightly different nomenclature for gas-only models. Similar to the X3, 1 Series Hatchback, and 2 Series Gran Coupe, the "i" suffix is going the way of the dodo because fuel injection has long been the standard.

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Our spy photographers have also caught Porsche's most anticipated model for 2026 lapping the Nurburgring in relatively cold weather. Believed to be marketed as the 911 Turbo Touring, the most streamlined Turbo yet is a smooth operator with covered side intake scoops and centerlock wheels.

Another specific trait comes in the form of a flush deployable rear spoiler, which replaces the extendable and tiltable rear wing of the 992.2-phase 911 Turbo S. If we're actually dealing with a Turbo S-derived model, then look forward to more than 700 horsepower from a hybridized twin-turbo setup.

Alternatively presumed to be the regular Turbo, the mysterious derivative builds on the appeal of the GT3 with the Touring package and the limited-run S/T. In stark contrast to said rear-drive models, the 911 Turbo Touring – or whatever it may be called – is certain to adopt the clever AWD system of the 911 Turbo S.

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The German-centric coverage continues with a tasteful set of ID. Polo renders from digital artist Nikita Chuyko. Just like his previous work, his vision of the ID. Polo is based on spy photos of near-production prototypes of the subcompact hatchback. Already confirmed in regular and GTI specifications, the full-electric alternative to the three- and four-cylinder Polo will be produced by SEAT in Spain.

Volkswagen ID. Polo (rendering)

A very clean-looking hatch with a confident smile instead of an aggressive grin, the ID. Polo is also set to debut the MEB+ platform for the Volkswagen Group's namesake brand. The biggest change from the rear-biased MEB platform is the adoption of rear disc brakes, but alas, the ID. Polo uses torsion-beam rear suspension instead of the ID.3's independent design.

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smart has recently confirmed that its fortwo-replacing #2 will be revealed in 2026 on a completely new platform, and with this confirmation, the Sino-German company has also published a few pics of the newcomer with EQ fortwo body panels on top of the Electric Compact Architecture. On the styling front, we suggest not getting your hopes up for a retro-infused revival of the fortwo.

Smart #2 (rendering)

Rendering maestro Sugar Chow shares our view, having imagined the #2 as the mini-me version of the #1 crossover utility vehicle. Even if Mercedes gets the styling right, the Chinese underpinnings of the #1 are surely going to put off a great deal of prospective customers. And with #2 suggesting a certain bodily function, the odds appear to be stacked against smart's take on urban mobility.

Traffic Lights Markers Coming to Waze. Stop Signs When?

By: Bogdan Popa

Google isn't (yet) merging Google Maps and Waze, but it does make the two apps look awfully similar. The company has been spotted working on adding the location of traffic lights in Waze, giving drivers more time to approach every intersection more cautiously. The feature is already live in Google Maps and has long been a top feature request in Waze. Stop signs should be next, but there is no information on this front yet.

Traffic lights also exist in Apple Maps, but the iPhone maker has quietly killed off another feature. Flyover city tours, a thing that has been around since 2014, recently got the axe for a reason only Apple knows for certain. It probably has to do with low usage, but starting in September, the feature is no longer available.

Meanwhile, the Kia Boys are still out there, playing their own game. Police in southern Texas say it has become more obvious that kids are rediscovering the Kia Challenge, which emerged more than three years ago. The result? More Kias and Hyundais are being stolen. 

The best thing owners can do is to install the anti-theft software update. It's free and takes only 30 to 45 minutes to be installed.

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