Category Archives: NEW CARS

NEW CARS

Porsche 911 GT3 90 F. A. Porsche — A Birthday Present Worth 510 Horsepower

If Porsche ever needed an excuse to build another special 911, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche’s 90th birthday is a pretty good one. The man who penned the original 911—and later founded Porsche Design—would have turned 90 on December 11, 2025. Stuttgart’s tribute? Not a cake, not a sculpture, but something much more appropriate: a limited-run 911 GT3 90 F. A. Porsche, a 510-hp, detail-obsessed homage to the brand’s most influential designer.

Only 90 units will exist, each hand-finished by the Sonderwunsch (“special wish”) division. One goes to F. A.’s son, Mark Porsche. The remaining 89 are for customers who will get a bespoke commissioning experience before production begins in late 2026. Orders open April 2026—so start sweet-talking your dealer now.

A GT3 With Touring Manners and Museum-Grade Details

Underneath the heritage polish sits the 911 GT3 Touring Package, meaning you get the same naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six pumping out 510 PS (375 kW), but without the shouty fixed rear wing. Instead, there’s a subtle extendable spoiler, keeping the car in low-key sleeper mode—assuming anyone mistakes a GT3 for “low key.”

But this edition is all about craftsmanship and storytelling.

The paint alone, F. A. Greenmetallic, was brewed specifically for this model. It’s a modern reinterpretation of the Oakgreenmetallic hue on F. A. Porsche’s personal G-Series 911. It also debuts a new exclusive Paint to Sample label on the A-pillar—a detail collectors will pore over at auctions decades from now.

Then there are the wheels: Sport Classic rims in satin-gloss black with center locks and the historic 1963 Porsche crest. They’re not typically available on the Touring Package GT3, but exceptions are the whole point of Sonderwunsch. A gold-plated “90 F. A. Porsche” badge on the rear grille seals the exterior with commemorative flair.

Inside: Where Memory Meets Material Science

As with many Porsche special editions, the interior goes deep into storytelling. The key motif is the F. A. Grid-Weave fabric—an intricate five-color pattern using black, green, truffle brown, cream, and Bordeaux red threads. The design comes from F. A.’s favorite jackets, the ones Mark Porsche recalls from childhood visits to his father’s studio.

This fabric appears on the seat centers, glove box, briefcase, and even the reversible luggage compartment mat, all surrounded by Truffle Brown Club Leather with Chalk Beige stitching.

Two more nods to the man himself elevate the cabin:

  • A walnut plywood gear knob with F. A. Porsche’s engraved signature
  • A gold-plated dashboard plaque reading “One of 90,” featuring a silhouette of the original 911

Even the Sport Chrono clock is a tribute, modeled on the one-off Chronograph I F. A. made for himself.

A Watch to Match the Car

No Porsche tribute would be complete without a timepiece. Buyers receive an exclusive Porsche Design Chronograph 1 – 911 GT3 90 F. A. Porsche, built by hand in Grenchen.

It features:

  • A patina-inspired luminous treatment mimicking aged radium/tritium
  • The historic Porsche Design logo
  • F. A.’s initials in place of the standard day/date logo
  • A rotor modeled after the GT3’s wheels
  • A titanium case coated in black, echoing the original 1972 design

A matching leather strap—using the same materials as the GT3’s interior—comes with a quick-change system.

It’s vintage in spirit, modern in function, COSC-certified, and limited to—you guessed it—90.

The Weekender and the Wildcard Return of the Porsche Junior

The commemorative package also includes a Truffle Brown leather weekender bag, lined with the same Grid-Weave fabric, and wearing the same 90th-anniversary badge as the car’s rear grille.

And then there’s the curveball:
Porsche is resurrecting the Porsche Junior, a bowl-shaped sled from the 1960s beloved by the Porsche family. This new version is carbon fiber with a Kevlar core and—naturally—painted F. A. Greenmetallic. Production? Also limited to 90 units.

A Tribute F. A. Would Probably Approve Of

F. A. Porsche famously said, “When you consider the function of an object, the form usually emerges by itself.” The 911 GT3 90 F. A. Porsche follows this credo religiously. It’s functional, fast, and focused, yet full of warm, personal details that turn an already iconic sports car into a rolling design retrospective.

Whether you see it as a museum piece or a track car with a grandfather clock’s worth of history, this GT3 is more than a birthday present—it’s a love letter to the man who drew the first line of Porsche’s most enduring silhouette.

Source: Porsche

NEW CARS

The 2026 Kia Seltos Steps Up for Europe

Kia is gearing up to bring one of its global heavy hitters to the UK and Europe for the very first time. Meet the second-generation Kia Seltos, a compact SUV that’s been quietly dominating markets from Mexico to India—and now finally gets a turn on the continent.

Slotting between the Niro and the Sportage in both footprint and ambition, the new Seltos arrives as Kia’s more expressive, lifestyle-leaning alternative to the brand’s best-selling Sportage. Think of it as Kia’s answer to the Volkswagen T-Roc—one that’s prepared to get its tires a little dirty.

Design: Rugged, Punchy, and Not Shy About It

Where the old Seltos played it straight, the new generation leans into attitude. A tougher, square-jawed face, chunkier cladding, and functional-looking skidplates give it mini-Off-Roader vibes. Kia is also pushing “lifestyle” appeal hard, offering the Seltos in a palette of loud hues like Iceberg Green and Magma Red. AWD is optional, and with it comes multi-link rear suspension and drive modes for loose surfaces—so yes, the Seltos can handle a muddy festival field or gravel trail without complaint.

Underneath, the Seltos rides on the brand’s K3 platform, shared with the Niro and Hyundai Kona. The proportions feel familiar, but the stance is more confident, more willing.

Powertrains: Petrol Now, Hybrid Later

Globally, the Seltos offers a spread of combustion choices:

  • 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder – 147 hp
  • 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder – 178 hp (6-speed manual) or 192 hp (8-speed automatic)

A hybrid joins the range in 2026, combining a 1.6-liter petrol engine with an electric motor—essentially the same setup used in the Niro—for a combined 139 hp.

Kia hasn’t confirmed which engines Europe will get, but the 2.0-liter naturally aspirated petrol is a long shot given emissions regulations. Expect the 1.6-liter turbo and, later, the hybrid to make up the UK lineup.

Interior: Built for the Premium-Hungry European Buyer

Because Kia knows European customers demand more kit than most markets, the Seltos arrives loaded out of the box. Standard features include:

  • 12.3-inch central infotainment display
  • Head-up display
  • Sunroof
  • Reclining second-row seating
  • 536 liters of boot space

It’s a significant leap from the first-generation model sold overseas, reflecting Kia’s intent to reposition the Seltos as something more than a budget crossover.

Why Europe—and Why Now?

The Seltos launched in 2019 and quickly became one of Kia’s global MVPs, especially in India, where production will continue. But it never met EU safety and emissions standards—until now.

CEO Ho Sung Song says the Seltos is “one of Kia’s most strategically important cars globally, like the Sportage,” noting that the Sportage’s runaway success in Europe (over 150,000 units sold in 2025 alone) created opportunity for a younger sibling. Kia is targeting around 60,000 Seltos sales per year in Europe.

And no, Kia isn’t worried about cannibalization. The Niro is tuned for fuel-efficiency-minded buyers, and while the Seltos hybrid may share hardware, the intended audience is different—people who want the efficiency and the SUV stance. Meanwhile, the Sportage remains in a “totally different segment,” according to Song.

Pricing and Arrival

Official UK pricing and arrival dates are still under wraps but expected early next year. Kia hints at a starting price around £30,000, putting the Seltos squarely alongside the Niro and the lower end of the Sportage range.

With bold looks, generous tech, and a hybrid on the horizon, the Seltos is shaping up to be a compelling new player in Europe’s crowded compact-SUV class. For a model that’s already proven itself worldwide, this long-awaited debut feels like the start of its biggest chapter yet.

Source: KIA

NEW CARS

First Look: 2026 AUDI E7X – China’s New Electric Flagship Steps Into the Spotlight

The AUDI E7X isn’t just another premium electric SUV—it’s a statement of intent. After the AUDI E SUV concept wowed crowds at Auto Guangzhou 2025, Audi’s China-exclusive sister brand is now rolling out the production design ahead of its full debut at Auto China 2026 in Beijing. And if the early details are anything to go by, the E7X is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing EVs the brand has ever developed.

This isn’t Audi in the traditional sense—no four rings, no attempts to mirror the global lineup. Instead, the E7X represents a new chapter tailored specifically to the world’s largest, fastest-moving EV market. Think of it as Audi by way of Shanghai: German engineering fused with SAIC’s deep roots in China’s hyper-connected digital ecosystem.

A Big, Clean, Confident Stance

Size-wise, the E7X lands squarely in full-size SUV territory. At 5,049 mm long and 2,002 mm wide, with a wheelbase stretching 3,060 mm, this thing occupies the road with the kind of presence usually reserved for luxury flagships. But the magic here is in the design execution.

Audi has carried the futuristic, monolithic look of the concept straight into production. Clean planes and strong surfaces dominate the body, avoiding fussy detailing in favor of a sculptural, almost architectural presence. Powerfully defined wheel arches hint at muscularity, while the short overhangs give the large SUV a surprisingly athletic stance.

The front end adopts a bold “wraparound loop” treatment with vertically stacked digital Matrix LED modules—an arrangement that feels more science fiction than mid-cycle refresh. Out back, the signature light graphics continue the theme with precision lines that emphasize the SUV’s width and planted posture.

Performance: Two Flavors of Serious Power

At launch, buyers will choose between two powertrain configurations:

  • 300 kW (402 hp)
  • 500 kW (670 hp)

The brand hasn’t released torque figures yet, but with those power numbers—and likely dual-motor AWD setups—the E7X won’t be hurting for acceleration. Audi characterizes performance as “superior,” and given the company’s history with electric platforms, that’s probably underselling it.

Fermín Soneira, CEO of the Audi–SAIC Cooperation Project, puts it simply: “The AUDI E7X is an SUV without compromises.” And if the mix of power, cabin space, and new-age tech plays out as promised, that might not be marketing fluff.

Inside the Digital Ecosystem

The E7X rides on the new Advanced Digitized Platform, jointly developed with SAIC. This isn’t just a hardware play—it’s a strategic rethinking of what a car needs to be in a market where customers expect their vehicles to sync with digital ecosystems as seamlessly as their smartphones.

Expect deep integration into Chinese app platforms, smart services, and AI-driven interfaces—not merely as add-ons, but as core elements of the vehicle experience. It’s a direction global Audi models haven’t fully embraced, which makes the E7X even more of a technological testbed.

Audi emphasizes that development between German and Chinese teams is happening concurrently, dramatically shortening the typical production timeline. This pace of iteration is something European OEMs have struggled with, and the E7X marks one of the fastest concept-to-production transitions Audi has ever executed.

Audi DNA, Reinterpreted

The E7X is only the second model from the brand after the E5 Sportback, but the mission is already clear: this lineup is for Chinese consumers who want Audi-level driving dynamics and quality—but with a digital philosophy built around local expectations.

You won’t find the iconic four rings here. The name AUDI, in full capitals, stands as the sole badge, an intentional signal that this is a parallel track rather than a sub-brand. It’s Audi, but not as the rest of the world knows it.

And yet, Audi insists that the E7X retains the marque’s DNA: tight handling, strong power delivery, and premium build. If the E5 Sportback was about establishing credibility, the E7X is about expanding ambition.

When Can You See It?

Mark the calendar:

  • Auto China 2026 (Beijing): April 24 – May 3, 2026 – Global debut
  • Market launch: First half of 2026

With the E7X, Audi and SAIC aren’t just releasing a new model—they’re building a new identity. For China’s tech-hungry EV market, this might be exactly the kind of high-end, fully electric SUV they’ve been waiting for.

Source: Audi