Category Archives: NEW CARS

NEW CARS

2026 Polestar 3 Gets More Power, Faster Charging, and Up to 635 km of Range

Polestar is polishing its flagship EV SUV for the upcoming model year, and the updates go deeper than a new badge or a subtle tweak to the headlights. The Swedish brand’s three-row electric hauler, which shares its bones with the Volvo EX90, now packs more power across the lineup, a quicker-charging 800-volt system, and efficiency-minded software that helps it stretch range past 600 kilometers.

From 400 Volts to 800

The big news is the switch from the old 400-volt architecture to a cutting-edge 800-volt system. That’s not just a bragging point—real-world charging times should shrink dramatically. In Dual Motor trim, the 106.0-kWh pack can now handle up to 350-kilowatt charging, good enough to take the battery from 10 to 80 percent in just 22 minutes. Even the entry-level 92.0-kWh Rear Motor model isn’t left behind; it can gulp electrons at 310 kilowatts.

Powertrain Choices: One, Two, or Two Turned Up to Eleven

Polestar now offers the 3 in three distinct flavors:

  • Rear Motor – A single-motor, rear-drive setup with 333 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque. That’s up from 299 hp, and enough to push the SUV to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. Range clocks in at 604 kilometers (WLTP).
  • Dual Motor – Adding a front motor brings total output to 544 hp and 740 lb-ft, slashing the 0–100 km/h sprint to 4.7 seconds. It’s also the champ of the lineup when it comes to range, managing up to 635 kilometers per charge. To save juice, the system can decouple the front motor during low-demand cruising.
  • Performance – The wild one. Two motors working in concert for a stout 680 hp and 870 lb-ft. This version hurls the Polestar 3 to 100 km/h in under four seconds, yet still manages up to 593 kilometers of range.

Efficiency Meets Muscle

Despite the power hike, Polestar has clearly aimed to balance outright performance with long-haul usability. The brand claims that careful thermal management and the motor-shutoff strategy in Dual Motor and Performance trims play a big role in keeping range competitive, even with the uprated output.

Looking Ahead

The refreshed Polestar 3 is set to arrive next year, and while pricing hasn’t been announced yet, expect it to sit above today’s version thanks to its upgraded hardware and positioning. With rivals like the BMW iX and Tesla Model X in its sights, the Polestar 3 finally looks ready to deliver both the power and practicality luxury EV buyers demand.

Source: Polestar

NEW CARS

Alfa Romeo 4C Collezione GT “Nicola Larini”: A Bridge Between Heritage and the Future

At the test track of the Alfa Romeo Historical Museum in Arese, history repeated itself—if only for a lap. Nicola Larini, the man who etched Alfa Romeo’s name into the annals of motorsport with his 1993 DTM title aboard the 155 V6 TI, slid back behind the wheel. This time, however, he wasn’t driving a fire-breathing touring car but something altogether more intimate: the first Alfa Romeo 4C Collezione GT “Nicola Larini,” a limited-run tribute built under Stellantis Heritage’s Reloaded by Creators program.

This wasn’t just a ceremonial handover. When Larini guided the compact coupé around Arese’s asphalt before handing its keys to the car’s new custodian, the gesture was steeped in symbolism. A champion of Alfa’s past delivering a torch to the present—a seamless connection between racing heritage and modern craft.

A Special 4C, Three Times Over

The 4C has always carried the reputation of being one of Alfa’s purest driver’s cars. Mid-engine layout, lightweight carbon-fiber chassis, and reflexes sharp enough to embarrass bigger, more powerful rivals—it’s the kind of machine that makes agility and feedback its headline act.

For this project, Stellantis Heritage is crafting just three Collezione GT examples. Each will wear its own distinctive color scheme: the inaugural “Giallo Ocra” car shown here, followed by “Verde Pino” and “Rosso Prugna.” Each build is signed, sealed, and certified authentic by Alfa Romeo Classiche, ensuring their status as rolling heirlooms.

Design Cues That Tell a Story

If the standard 4C was already a modern classic, the Collezione GT trim elevates it into collector-grade territory. The livery, developed by Centro Stile Alfa Romeo under designer Alessandro Maccolini, draws a straight line back to the brand’s golden age—the Giulia GTs of the ’60s and ’70s.

The result is subtle yet evocative: tone-on-tone paint finishes, matching wheels, and Larini’s autograph appearing not just on the hood, but also on the dashboard plaque and embroidered into the seats. It’s a detail that blurs the line between artifact and automobile.

Inside, function meets heritage-inspired style. Black microfiber covers the dashboard to cut glare, and the racing vibe extends to the seats, which blend body-colored inserts with grippy microfiber bolsters. Even the steering wheel gains a sightline marker—a small but welcome nod to Larini’s racing toolkit.

More Than a Tribute

In some special editions, the exclusivity feels like a veneer. Here, it feels genuine. Stellantis Heritage isn’t simply producing a badge-engineered commemorative car; they’re weaving a narrative. Each of the three cars will wear a slightly altered Alfa crest on the hood, making every example unique within an already tiny production run.

It’s not just about nostalgia either. This program demonstrates a willingness to celebrate Alfa Romeo’s greatest hits without turning the 4C into a static museum piece. These are fully road-ready sports cars, certificates of authenticity in hand, prepared for collectors who value history they can drive.

Legacy on Four Wheels

For Alfa Romeo, the 4C Collezione GT “Nicola Larini” isn’t simply an exercise in design—it’s an act of storytelling. The handover at Arese was a carefully staged moment, yes, but it felt authentic. Larini’s championship victory in 1993 is still remembered by fans as proof of Alfa’s underdog tenacity in the DTM, and seeing him climb out of a modern Alfa coupé carried a resonance that statistics alone can’t capture.

This is what Stellantis Heritage seems to understand: heritage is only alive if it’s in motion. And with two more cars yet to join the fold, the story is still being written.

Source: Stellantis

NEW CARS

The Lexus LS 500 Heritage Edition: A Farewell Ode to the Original Japanese Flagship

For nearly four decades, the Lexus LS has been the quiet disruptor in the luxury sedan hierarchy. When the original LS 400 debuted in 1989, it rewrote the rules of refinement, leaving Europe’s aristocratic sedans scrambling. Thirty-six years later, the LS 500 AWD Heritage Edition arrives as both a tribute and a coda—a limited-run, mono-spec model meant to honor the sedan that put Lexus on the map. Only 250 examples will be built, priced from $99,280, and they’ll land in dealerships this fall.

This is not just another trim package. The Heritage Edition is Lexus carefully curating the LS story into a single, distilled expression of what made the nameplate iconic: meticulous craftsmanship, serene luxury, and power delivered with whisper-quiet composure.

Dressed in Black, Red, and History

The exterior makes its intentions clear. A new paint finish, Ninety Noir, is an obsidian-like black that swallows light and emphasizes the sedan’s fluid proportions. Subtle darkened moldings and garnishes eliminate flash in favor of quiet menace. The 20-inch split-spoke alloys, now finished in Dark Gray Metallic, walk the line between elegance and aggression, and like all LS wheels, they’re engineered to hush road noise.

Step inside, however, and subtlety gives way to drama. The Rioja Red leather interior—an LS first—turns the cabin into a bold statement piece. Heritage Edition badging, etched into the center console and embroidered into the headrests, reminds passengers they’re sitting in something rare. Lexus also brings in its Laser Special Black wood trim, paired with Ultrasuede headliners and visors. It’s tactile theater—subdued where it needs to be, extravagant where it wants to be.

Technology Meets Tradition

As expected from Lexus’s flagship, the Heritage Edition loads on both tech and creature comforts. The panoramic glass roof and Mark Levinson 23-speaker, 2,400-watt surround system transform long drives into rolling sanctuaries. The Panoramic View Monitor and Advanced Park tech add ease to urban maneuvering, while heated rear seats and powered buckle lifters remind you Lexus never forgets about second-row passengers.

The infotainment suite runs through a 12.3-inch touchscreen, backed by the latest Lexus Interface. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as is a Digital Key function that allows smartphone-based entry and sharing. Cloud navigation, Intelligent Assistant voice commands, and over-the-air updates ensure this final LS isn’t stuck in yesterday’s tech.

Safety remains paramount, with the Lexus Safety System+ 3.0 suite bundled in. Features such as Emergency Driving Stop, Curve Speed Management, and Left Turn Oncoming Vehicle Detection show just how far active safety has evolved since the LS’s conservative beginnings.

The Numbers Still Matter

Beneath the hood, the 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 delivers the same 416 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque as the standard LS 500, paired to a 10-speed automatic. All-wheel drive with a Torsen limited-slip center differential provides both security and composure. Lexus claims a 0–60 mph time of 4.6 seconds, proving this sedan still has the reflexes to back up its flagship status.

Drive modes range from Eco to Sport S+, but true to LS character, the emphasis isn’t outright aggression. Instead, Lexus engineers have fine-tuned the turbos’ wastegate control, piston design, and exhaust note for near-silent cold starts and seamless power delivery. It’s still a car more about silk than shock.

Why This Heritage Matters

The 2026 LS 500 Heritage Edition is not a revolution. It doesn’t try to outgun German V8s or chase the electric future head-on. Instead, it’s a carefully considered farewell—an homage to a sedan that once stunned the industry by proving luxury could be both uncompromising and rational.

For those lucky enough to secure one of the 250 units, the Heritage Edition isn’t just a luxury sedan—it’s a rolling time capsule, a nod to where Lexus came from, and a reminder of the craftsmanship-first philosophy that made the LS a legend.

And in the crowded luxury arena, that might be the most exclusive luxury of all.

Source: Lexus