Category Archives: NEW CARS

NEW CARS

Future Audi A2 EV: Design, Range, and Everything We Know So Far

Audi is gearing up for a major shake-up at the bottom end of its lineup. With the A1 hatchback and Q2 crossover both heading for retirement next year, the brand’s entry point into the premium segment is about to get a jolt—literally. Spy shots have captured Audi testing a new compact EV that’s set to fill the void, and from the looks of it, this might just be the spiritual successor to the long-lost A2.

At first glance, the prototype looks like a scaled-down Q4 e-tron, but there’s something familiar in its proportions—short overhangs, upright stance, and clean surfacing that harks back to the aluminum-bodied A2 of the early 2000s. Back then, Audi’s forward-thinking hatch was ahead of its time—lightweight, aerodynamic, and obsessively engineered. It sold poorly, but today’s EV age might finally be the right moment for that idea to come good.

A Name from the Past, Tech from the Future

Audi isn’t saying what the new model will be called, though CEO Gernot Döllner hinted to Autocar that reviving a historic badge is “thinkable.” Betting odds say the A2 nameplate is the favorite, and it would fit the brand’s recent trend of tightening its portfolio around clean, logical naming.

Under the skin, the compact EV will ride on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform, the same architecture underpinning the VW ID.3, Cupra Tavascan, and Audi’s own Q4 e-tron. That means we can expect battery options ranging from around 58 kWh to 79 kWh, with range figures likely stretching toward 360 miles in its most efficient form. Performance versions could borrow from the Skoda Elroq vRS, which produces up to 335 horsepower—a tempting prospect for anyone who thinks small EVs should still be fun.

Less Volume, More Vision

The new model also marks a philosophical shift for Audi. Döllner has made it clear that the brand will simplify its lineup, focusing less on chasing every market niche and more on offering clarity to customers. In practice, that means Audi will exit the smallest combustion-engine segments and let VW, Cupra, and Skoda handle the entry-level crowd with cars like the ID. Polo, Raval, and Epiq. Audi, meanwhile, will concentrate on what it does best—premium design, advanced tech, and that understated sense of sophistication.

“There are not many brands in the world that can, but I think Audi can have a true premium offer in the A-segment,” Döllner said.

Electric Minimalism, Audi Style

Expect a cabin that leans heavily on Audi’s latest design language: sustainable materials, minimalistic controls, and digital interfaces inspired by the brand’s larger EVs. The car’s size—somewhere between a hatchback and a crossover—should make it a strong contender in Europe’s urban EV market, where space efficiency and badge prestige are both key selling points.

What’s Next

The camouflaged prototypes seen testing suggest a launch is still some distance off, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see a concept preview sometime in 2025, followed by a production debut in 2026.

If Audi gets this right, the new EV could do what the original A2 never managed: make small truly premium—and this time, profitable.

Source: Autocar

NEW CARS

Lexus Builds a Van So Fancy It Needs an Extra Axle

Lexus just had its best year ever. Eight hundred and fifty-one thousand, two hundred and fourteen cars left its showrooms in 2024 — the most since the brand first burst onto the scene in 1989. By any sensible measure, you’d think that’s the perfect time to keep calm and carry on polishing the chrome.

But “sensible” has clearly been banned at Toyota HQ.

Because, dear reader, Lexus is about to launch a six-wheeled minivan. Yes, six wheels. Not an SUV, not a super-saloon — a minivan with three axles and, apparently, the soul of a luxury flagship. The sort of thing that sounds like it should be parked outside NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building rather than the valet stand at the Tokyo Ritz.

The House of Lexus Goes Mad (In Style)

This whole madcap adventure comes from Toyota’s grand plan to shake up its luxury division. Chief Branding Officer Simon Humphries says Lexus can now “move more freely” and “push forward as a pioneer.” Translated from corporate-speak, that means: we’ve made enough money to get weird again.

And weird they shall. A teaser for the upcoming concept — due to be unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show — shows something that looks part spaceship, part Bond villain shuttle. It’s said to sit above the current LM, Lexus’s already-posh take on the Toyota Alphard/Vellfire, which itself is basically the world’s nicest airport shuttle. So where do you go from there? Add another axle, obviously.

The LS Lives… as a Van?

Chairman Akio Toyoda, never one to avoid a headline, hints that this rolling experiment might even revive the fabled LS badge. The LS has long been Lexus’s stately saloon, the quiet, V8-powered embodiment of Japanese luxury. But according to Toyoda, the “S” no longer stands for sedan — it now stands for space.

“It’s an incredible challenge,” he says, noting that Lexus customers still expect the usual cocktail of silence, comfort, and unflappable composure — only now, on six wheels. The development team has been instructed to “discover and imitate no one.” Which, frankly, sounds less like a design brief and more like a samurai mantra.

Luxury Has Left the Lounge

Here’s the logic: in markets like China, the luxury van is king. Chauffeur-driven family pods such as the Volvo EM90, Buick GL8, and a fleet of futuristic Chinese rivals (Voyah Dream, Denza D9, Zeekr 009, Xpeng X9) are redefining what premium motoring looks like. While the West obsesses over SUVs, the East is quietly turning the van into the new limousine.

So perhaps Lexus isn’t crazy at all — merely ahead of the curve. Expect the concept to ditch combustion engines entirely, likely going full-electric with the sort of smooth, silent torque delivery that suits a rolling penthouse. Production? Don’t expect anything before 2027.

The End of the Sedan Era

The venerable LS sedan is apparently bowing out soon, replaced not by another leather-lined saloon, but by this bold, six-wheeled, chauffeur-first spaceship. Lexus calls it a “dramatic transformation.” We call it… intriguing madness.

Will traditionalists revolt at the idea of an LS-badged van? Probably. Will Lexus care? Not even slightly. Because, after years of playing the polite understudy to Mercedes and BMW, Lexus is finally doing what it does best: ignoring everyone else and building something entirely different.

So yes — Lexus may have just lost its marbles. But if this is what happens when they do, then please, keep them rolling.

Source: Toyota

NEW CARS

Kia Telluride: The SUV That Broke the Aging Curve

For most cars, hitting middle age means one thing: the slow, inevitable slide into obscurity. The paint fades, the shine dulls, and the sales charts begin to sag like a cheap suspension under too much luggage.

But not the Kia Telluride.

This big, square-jawed family bus from Korea has been defying the laws of showroom physics. It’s been around since 2019, which, in SUV years, is roughly two monarchs and three iPhones ago — yet it’s selling better than ever. Last year, Kia shifted an eyebrow-raising 115,504 Tellurides in the U.S., and 2025 is shaping up to be another record-breaker. Through September, it’s already up 13 percent. In other words: while other SUVs are losing steam, the Telluride is out here doing CrossFit.

Still, even immortals need a replacement eventually. And come November 20th, at the 2025 Los Angeles Auto Show, Kia will pull the covers off the second-generation Telluride. Don’t rush to your dealer just yet, though — the new one won’t actually arrive until the 2027 model year, likely in the back half of next year. The current model soldiers on for one more lap as the 2025MY, proving you can be both old and desirable if you’ve got the right proportions.

Now, Kia’s teasing us — literally — with a pair of moody teaser shots. The SUV lurks in the shadows like a heavyweight boxer waiting for the bell. What we can see looks… promising. Still boxy, still bold, but now wearing Kia’s sharper, more futuristic design language. There are vertical lights at both ends, and the face has a whiff of EV9 about it — though, unlike its electric cousin, the Telluride keeps a proper grille because, well, this one still burns dinosaur juice.

Speaking of which, under the bonnet things are expected to mirror its corporate cousin, the new Hyundai Palisade. Translation: you’ll have two main options. A good old-fashioned 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V6 with 287 horsepower for the traditionalists, or a hybrid setup pairing a 2.5-litre turbo four-cylinder with twin electric motors, good for 329 horses and 339 lb-ft. Both setups will come in two- or four-wheel drive — and neither sounds like it’ll have any trouble dragging a family, a trailer, or an ego uphill.

Size-wise, brace yourself for more of everything. Hyundai has stretched the Palisade by around 2.5 inches overall, with a 2.7-inch longer wheelbase, meaning your third-row passengers might actually feel like humans rather than luggage. Expect the Telluride to follow suit — bigger, broader, taller — a subtle evolution from “handsome” to “don’t-mess-with-me” territory.

Price? The outgoing Telluride starts at $37,885, while the latest Palisade kicks off at $41,035. Expect Kia’s new flagship SUV to move a little upmarket — not by much, but enough to let you know it’s serious about the premium family hauler game.

So there you have it. The Telluride story isn’t ending — it’s just leveling up. The old one still sells like hotcakes, and the new one looks ready to keep the momentum rolling. In an age of electric revolution and crossover clones, Kia’s big gas-burning bruiser is proof that sometimes, old-school still sells — especially when it looks this good doing it.

Source: KIA