Brand News
News about car manufacturers - launches, strategies, and corporate updates.
Scout Motors plans to sell its Traveler and Terra models directly to customers instead of through franchised dealers, and Volkswagen dealers are now suing in several US states over it.
Scout Motors welded the first Traveler body shell at its Blythewood, South Carolina plant, a pre-production milestone as the site moves from construction to line trials ahead of series production.
Ford ranked first among mass-market brands in J.D. Power's 2026 Initial Quality Study, but CEO Jim Farley says he is not satisfied because Ford still leads the industry in recall campaigns. Ford has issued 56 recalls covering 12.1 million vehicles so far in 2026, after a record 153 recalls covering nearly 13 million vehicles in 2025.
Audi is walking back its all-screen, all-touch interior direction, promising more physical buttons, dials and higher-grade materials under a new design philosophy called Radical Next, previewed on the Concept C and the Nuvolari.
A tiny Italian coachbuilder in Piedmont hand-builds around 30 cars a year - a two-seat retro sports car with a naturally aspirated, Ford-sourced 5.0-liter V8 tuned to about 500 hp, a six-speed manual, and no touchscreens. The open Barchetta has been reaching customers since 2025 from $290,000; a fixed-roof Coupe was previewed at Goodwood in July 2026, with the first example due in 2027.
Tesla tore down its Fremont, California Model S/X assembly line in just 46 days, closing out 14 years of production that began with the Model S in 2012. The freed floor space is being converted into an Optimus humanoid robot line that Tesla wants scaled to roughly a million units a year, with full-scale output targeted for late July or August 2026.
Toyota will invest $3.6 billion to expand its San Antonio, Texas plant and shift Tacoma pickup production there from Mexico, with the new line targeted for 2030.
Audi chief technical officer Rouven Mohr says one model can no longer satisfy the US, China, and Europe at once. China gets a standalone "AUDI" lineup built with SAIC and sold without the four rings, alongside the classic Audi range which stays. The US and Europe will get more region-specific models and configurations too.
General Motors is investing $275 million in its Spring Hill, Tennessee plant, with $150 million earmarked for a new gasoline-powered Cadillac, the clearest sign yet that the brand has stepped back from an all-electric future.
Ford has brought back more than 300 human quality inspectors after replacing them with AI systems several years ago. The automaker found AI handles repetitive defect checks well but struggles with unusual production issues, and now runs a hybrid model where AI assists inspectors rather than replacing them.
Ford tested its Ford Security Package on the F-150 using Tag, a trained 800-pound grizzly bear known from Yellowstone, who rocked, clawed at, and even opened a door on the truck. The system correctly flagged every intrusion attempt and notified the owner through Ford's mobile app.
Alpine has revealed the A290 Rallye x Lacoste - a one-off customer racing concept styled by the French sportswear brand, with 290 crocodile motifs, forged carbon bodywork, and a capsule clothing collection.
Scout Motors, the Volkswagen Group subsidiary reviving the legendary International Harvester Scout name, has revealed the Traveler SUV and Terra pickup. Both are available in full electric or Harvester EREV form, start under $60,000, and are built in South Carolina from 2028.
Taycan sales dropped 22% in 2025 to 16,339 units, then a further 19% in Q1 2026. The Zuffenhausen factory has been running with intermittent shutdowns since early May.
BYD VP Stella Li said at the FT Future of the Car conference in London that the company is in talks to acquire multiple idle European plants, with Italian Stellantis assets the primary target. Maserati was named as a 'very interesting' acquisition candidate. BYD's Q1 2026 net profit fell 55% year-on-year.
Mazda CEO Masahiro Moro confirmed that the company's first in-house EV on a dedicated platform is delayed from 2027 to 2029, with no factory lines or supplier contracts committed. The electrification budget is cut from $12.5B to $7.5B by 2030. EV volume target falls from 25–40% of sales to 15%. Hybrids and Chinese-made stopgap EVs fill the gap.