All posts by Francis Mitterrand

NEW CARS

2026 Cupra Born: Sharper Style, Smarter Tech, Same Rear-Drive Fun

The electric hatchback that helped define Cupra’s personality has been given a mid-cycle refresh. And while the shape of the Cupra Born might look familiar at first glance, the Spanish brand has focused its attention exactly where owners have been asking for changes: inside the cabin, in the software, and in the everyday ergonomics.

The result is a Born that feels less like a stylish experiment and more like a fully matured electric hot hatch.

Exterior: Sharper Edges, Familiar Shape

Cupra hasn’t reinvented the Born’s silhouette, but the details have been sharpened. The brand’s latest design language introduces more triangular elements, especially in the lighting graphics. Higher-spec models get adaptive matrix LED headlights whose internal patterns change shape depending on driving conditions.

Across the lineup, a full-width light bar now stretches across the front fascia and illuminated Cupra badges make an appearance, because apparently even badges need mood lighting these days. The grille is more pronounced and the front bumper features larger, more noticeable air intakes that give the Born a slightly more aggressive stance.

Out back, the bumper incorporates a diffuser-like element that visually separates the Born from most compact EV hatchbacks. Whether it adds meaningful aerodynamic benefit is debatable—but it certainly adds drama.

Interior: Fixing the Annoying Stuff

If you’ve spent time in the previous Born—or its close cousin, the Volkswagen ID.3—you’ll know that the biggest complaints weren’t about power or range. They were about usability.

Cupra seems to have been listening.

A new 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster now sits ahead of the driver and can display significantly more information at once. More importantly, the steering wheel finally returns to physical buttons instead of the touch-sensitive sliders that drivers loved to hate.

2026 Cupra Born: Sharper Style, Smarter Tech, Same Rear-Drive Fun

That change alone might win over a lot of skeptics.

The central infotainment screen now runs Cupra’s own Android-based interface rather than the older Volkswagen Group software. The new system promises faster responses and more flexibility—two things the previous system struggled with.

Tech and Sound: More Digital Personality

Audiophiles will appreciate the optional Sennheiser sound system, which now features something called Contrabass. It uses psychoacoustic tricks to make the bass feel deeper and more powerful than the speakers themselves might physically produce.

Sportier drive modes also introduce a synthesized “power sound,” because electric cars still feel a little too quiet for some drivers when the road starts to twist.

The interior atmosphere gets a boost as well. Cupra adds richer door trim materials, larger areas of its signature geometric textures, and a more elaborate ambient lighting system. The lighting can even animate to highlight alerts and notifications for the driver.

Powertrain: Three Rear-Drive Options

Like before, the Born sticks with rear-wheel drive across the lineup—a rare and welcome choice in the compact EV segment.

Three battery and motor combinations are available:

  • Base model:
    59-kWh battery with a 193-hp electric motor.
  • Mid-range model:
    A larger 79-kWh battery (up from 77 kWh previously) paired with 234 hp.
  • Top model – VZ:
    The performance version retains the big 79-kWh battery and a 330-hp motor, delivering a 0–100 km/h sprint in 5.6 seconds.

The largest battery option allows for up to 690 kilometers (WLTP) of range, while the smaller pack still manages around 400 kilometers.

Driving Features: One Pedal and Launch Control

A new one-pedal driving mode allows the Born to slow to a complete stop without touching the brake pedal. It’s convenient in traffic, although—contrary to popular belief—it doesn’t necessarily improve efficiency.

Performance-minded drivers will appreciate another addition: launch control, available on models equipped with the larger battery pack.

Cupra has also widened the tires slightly for improved grip, and as tradition dictates for any respectable facelift, the 18- and 19-inch wheel designs have been refreshed.

The Born was always one of the more entertaining compact EVs thanks to its rear-drive layout and sharp styling. What held it back was the software and interior usability.

This update tackles those issues head-on. If the new infotainment system proves as smooth as promised, the refreshed Born might finally become what it always hinted at: a properly polished electric hot hatch.

Source: Cupra

Tuning

America Meets the 1000-HP Shooting Brake No One Asked For

Eighteen months after it first stunned the tuning world, the Rocket GTS has finally landed in the U.S.—and it didn’t arrive quietly. Based on the Mercedes-Benz AMG SL 63, this reimagined Shooting Brake now wears a full green carbon-fiber suit and carries a price tag of $1,387,081. Yes, that’s hypercar territory. No, it doesn’t apologize.

The SL has always been the boulevard bruiser in the portfolio of Mercedes-Benz, and in modern AMG form it’s already less silk scarf, more switchblade. But what happens when you hand it to Mercedes-AMG’s wildest aftermarket interpreter and say, “Do your worst”? You get this.

The original show car flaunted exposed carbon like a flexed bicep. This U.S.-bound example goes deeper: an all-carbon body bathed in a translucent emerald hue. In direct sunlight, the weave shimmers beneath the lacquer like reptile skin. Subtle? Not remotely. Spectacular? Absolutely.

The reshaped rear and extended roofline will split dinner conversations straight down the middle. Purists may clutch their roadster credentials, but there’s a strange coherence to it. The SL’s long hood and cab-rearward proportions actually welcome the added roof stretch. The Shooting Brake treatment feels less like a graft and more like an evolution—one drawn by someone who owns several carbon-fiber briefcases.

A Cabin That Refuses to Whisper

If you were hoping the interior might dial things back, abandon that thought immediately.

Nearly every surface—seats, door panels, gearshift tunnel, headliner, even the floor mats—is drenched in matching green leather and Alcantara. The few components spared the hide treatment are finished in green-tinted carbon fiber. It’s less “accent color” and more “monochromatic takeover.”

The craftsmanship, predictably, is impeccable. The audacity, unmistakable. It feels like the inside of a concept car that somehow escaped the auto-show turntable and started asking for premium fuel.

Four Digits, Two Turbos, One Thousand Reasons

Of course, a seven-figure tuner special needs more than dramatic tailoring. Under the hood sits an upgraded 4.5-liter twin-turbo V8 paired with the same plug-in hybrid system used in the SL 63 E Performance. The combined output? A clean, round 1,000 horsepower and 1,620 Nm of torque.

Performance claims read like a physics glitch:

  • 0–100 km/h (62 mph): 2.6 seconds
  • 0–200 km/h (124 mph): 9.5 seconds
  • 0–300 km/h (186 mph): 23.6 seconds
  • Top speed: 317 km/h (197 mph), electronically limited

For context, those numbers place it squarely in modern hypercar company—while offering a cargo area large enough for a weekend’s worth of designer luggage.

The Million-Dollar Question

Spending nearly $1.4 million on a modified SL sounds extravagant, even in today’s inflated performance market. But exclusivity is the point. This isn’t just an SL turned up to eleven; it’s a redefinition of what that platform can be. It’s equal parts grand tourer, muscle car, and rolling design experiment.

The Rocket GTS doesn’t try to blend in. It doesn’t even try to convince you. It simply arrives—green, loud, and unapologetically expensive—and dares you to look away.

You won’t.

Source: Brabus

NEW CARS

Renault Bridger Concept: The Sub-4-Meter SUV with Big-Time Attitude

There’s a particular kind of honesty to a boxy SUV with a spare wheel bolted to its tailgate. It doesn’t pretend to be a coupe. It doesn’t apologize for its angles. And it certainly doesn’t need a light bar stretching from fender to fender to make a point.

Enter the upcoming Bridger concept, set to debut at the Renault Group strategy day on 10 March—a rugged, city-focused crossover that looks ready to trade mall parking garages for muddy village roads without breaking a sweat.

Small Footprint, Big Personality

At under 4.0 meters in length, the Bridger is shorter than the Renault 4 (4.1 meters) and notably more compact than the Dacia Duster (4.3 meters). That puts it squarely in the territory once occupied by the dearly departed Suzuki Jimny—a vehicle that proved you don’t need much sheetmetal to have a lot of character.

But unlike the Jimny’s body-on-frame, rock-crawler bravado, the Bridger appears more urban-savvy than trail-obsessed. Think curb-hopping agility, tight alley maneuverability, and enough ground clearance to survive infrastructure that hasn’t quite caught up with the 21st century.

The rear-mounted spare wheel is the giveaway here. It’s equal parts visual theater and practical insurance policy—a subtle nod that this crossover may spend as much time dodging potholes as it does valet stands.

Built Where It Matters

This isn’t a Euro-centric fashion experiment. The production version of the Bridger will be designed and developed in India and most likely assembled at Renault’s Chennai plant. That decision alone tells you where the priorities lie.

Earlier this year, Renault outlined a £2.2 billion plan to significantly grow its market share outside Europe. Translation: while Paris gets the nostalgia plays and EV experiments, India, Africa, and the Middle East get the hardware meant to move volume.

And in those markets, electrification isn’t yet king. With EV adoption still modest, the Bridger is expected to skip plug-in ambitions entirely and lean on combustion power. Most likely? The same mild- and full-hybrid setups found in the Indian-built Renault Duster. That means efficiency without the infrastructure anxiety—a pragmatic solution for regions where charging networks aren’t exactly flourishing.

A Name with Muscle

Renault seems serious about the Bridger name making it to production. Sylvia dos Santos, Renault’s head of naming strategy, describes it as “powerful, robust and versatile”—very much in the mold of Duster. It’s an English-word approach designed to resonate globally, especially in markets where ruggedness still sells better than refinement.

And let’s be honest: “Bridger” sounds like something that climbs mountains before breakfast.

Part of a Bigger Offensive

The Bridger isn’t alone in Renault’s outward-facing ambitions. The wild Renault Niagara concept—previewing a rugged pickup expected around 2027—signaled that Renault is thinking far beyond its traditional European comfort zone. The message is clear: global growth won’t come from retro hatchbacks alone.

The Bigger Picture

What makes the Bridger intriguing isn’t just its size or styling cues. It’s the philosophy behind it. In an era when compact crossovers increasingly look like inflated hatchbacks with delusions of grandeur, Renault appears to be doubling down on utility and clarity of purpose.

Short. Boxy. Practical. Affordable. Combustion-powered. Built where it’s sold.

If the concept translates cleanly into production, the Bridger could become the kind of no-nonsense urban warrior that makes you wonder why more automakers aren’t building SUVs this way.

Sometimes, the boldest move isn’t going electric or autonomous. Sometimes, it’s just putting the spare wheel back where everyone can see it.

Source: Renault