The news comes as the electric vehicle (EV) maker looks for new ways to head off further declines in U.S. sales following the expiration of its federal tax credits, and comes amid continued backlash against the company for CEO Elon Musk's role in the U.S. government, coupled with growing competition in the EV market. Those federal EV tax credits of up to $7,500 expired on October 1, after President Donald Trump signed his One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into law.
The effective end of federal fuel-economy standards, combined with the demise of the $7,500 federal tax credit, lowered sales of new EVs in October, following record third-quarter sales that surged as demand pulled forward. As affordability pressures continue to affect the broader car industry, used EVs are emerging as the new bright spot, becoming the fastest-selling used vehicles of any powertrain in the third quarter. Welcome to Critical Materials, your daily round-up of news shaping the world of electric cars and technology.
It finally happened. The Toyota Hilux pickup truck, which is known around the world for its ability to withstand extreme punishment while occasionally carrying heavy automatic weapons in the bed, is now electric. The ninth-generation Hilux debuted today in Thailand, ten years after the previous model launched, with Toyota putting the EV variant under the spotlight ahead of additional diesel and hydrogen fuel cell powertrains.
My iPhone Wallet stores theater and transit tickets and all of my credit and debit cards, and it lets me sashay like a boss through my gym's turnstile. The tech works flawlessly, requiring only my proximity or the merest tilt of the device toward my face. Biometric goodness means I have few worries about security, even accessing my bank accounts.
The family of Quentin Willson, television presenter and producer, motoring journalist, author, and campaigner, wish to announce that he passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Saturday 8th November, following a short battle with lung cancer. He was 68. A true national treasure, Quentin brought the joy of motoring, from combustion to electric, into our living rooms. He helped shape the original Top Gear as one of its first hosts, working alongside Jeremy Clarkson and the team who took the pioneering show global.
The Hongqi HS6 PHEV set a Guinness World Record by traveling 2,327.343 kilometers on a single full charge and fuel tank without refueling, departing from Shangri-La on October 30 and arriving in Guangzhou on November 3. The achievement surpassed previous record holders including Chery's Fulwin T10, establishing new benchmarks for plug-in hybrid range capability. But beyond the impressive range figures, this 5-seater SUV makes its strongest statement through two areas where Chinese automakers are increasingly competing with global luxury brands: exterior design presence and interior craftsmanship.
The province's car sales regulator, the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council (OMVIC), says the advertised price in a dealership ad must include all fees the consumer is expected to pay, except HST and licensing. In fact, it's been Ontario law since 2010 that dealership ads must set out the total amount. Marketplace journalists went undercover posing as shoppers across the Greater Toronto Area to find out if they could get a car at the price advertised on the dealerships' websites. Marketplace has received complaints from viewers who said they were being charged for add-ons like floor mats, rust protection and warranties.
Set to debut in the 2026-27 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the Gen4 car represents a substantial step forward in both engineering and purpose. It delivers 450 kW (around 603 hp) in race trim and up to 600 kW (over 800 hp) in Attack Mode, nearly 200 hp more than the outgoing Gen3 machine. The boost is complemented by a new permanent all-wheel-drive system, which, unlike the Gen3's limited use of front-axle regeneration, remains active throughout the race.
The Cadillac Optiq is Cadillac's cheapest electric model, starting at a reasonably thriftyfor an electric luxury crossover, anyway$50,000. Underneath, it's essentially a really nice Chevrolet Equinox EV: made in the same factory, using the same 85-kilowatt-hour battery, and the same front-biased all-wheel-drive system. I wasn't sure how those guts would be worthy of the legendary Cadillac V moniker. It's like making an SS version of the Chevy Bolt EUV.
With 789 hp, the Temerario's twin-turbo, 4.0-liter V-8 might once have seemed plentiful on its own; especially with a sensational 10,000-rpm redline that makes this the world's highest-revving production V-8. But for the successor to the Huracán, merely the best-selling model in the brand's history, Lamborghini adds three axial-flux electric motors. A pair on the front axle provide all-wheel-drive traction and torque-vectoring tricks.
Thanks to new silicon carbide (SiC) inverters, which are more efficient than traditional silicon semiconductors, the entry-level 2026 BMW i4 eDrive40 can now deliver over 300 miles of range on a full charge, irrespective of the wheel and tire combination. With 18-inch wheels, the rear-wheel drive EV has an estimated range of 333 miles, up 15 miles from the outgoing model. With 19-inch wheels, it can go 307 miles on a full charge, up 12 miles.
Bach, who also served as Lucid Motors' Senior Vice President of Product, has been with the company since 2015. He joined Lucid after spending three years as Tesla's Director of Engineering, where he worked alongside Lucid Motors' former CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson. Bach spent more than ten years at Volkswagen before Tesla. Lucid Motors' Vice President of Quality, Jeri Ford, is retiring as well. She will be replaced by Marnie Levergood, who is coming to the company from Scout Motors.
Honda is developing a next-generation hybrid system for its full-sized SUVs tailored specifically for the North American market, the automaker said on Wednesday. It's also introducing a new mid-size hybrid platform, which will bring a raft of structural and powertrain improvements over its current crop of hybrids. The Japanese automaker announced its new plans at the Honda Automotive Technology Workshop in Tokyo.
Most people do not know just how amazing electric vehicles are going to be. I realized this when I was 300-ish feet up a towering, windblown dune in the Mojave Desert, in a vehicle canted at roughly 30 degrees. I was in a Mercedes-Benz GLC EV prototype that was sliding sideways, nose at the sky, maintaining a four-wheel high-incline drift with its limitless electric torque. I looked at distant mountains through the now-sideways panoramic sunroof, while the car showered itself in sun-sparkled sand, and my stomach drifted toward the center console. I felt frozen. It felt impossible.
