News

Tesla Is Dumping Its Flagship Cars to Build Robots Instead

By any reasonable measure, the Tesla Model S and Model X are among the most important cars of the 21st century. The Model S proved that electric vehicles could be fast, luxurious, and genuinely desirable. The Model X, for all its quirks, helped drag the premium SUV market into the electric age. Now, Tesla is preparing to turn the page on both of them—and not in favor of another car.

Instead, Elon Musk wants robots.

During a call with investors, Tesla’s CEO confirmed that production of the Model S and Model X will be wound down this year and effectively shut off, as the company prepares to convert its Fremont, California factory into a production hub for its Optimus humanoid robots. The move marks the end of Tesla’s longest-running vehicle lines and one of the clearest signs yet that Musk is steering the company away from being primarily a carmaker.

“It’s a little sad,” Musk admitted. But sentimentality has never been a strong force inside Tesla.

The Cars That Built Tesla

When the Model S launched in 2012, the idea of a long-range, high-performance electric luxury sedan bordered on fantasy. Gasoline still ruled, EVs were mostly compliance cars, and most of the auto industry assumed batteries were too expensive and too limiting to matter. Tesla didn’t just prove them wrong—it embarrassed them.

The Model S was quicker, cleaner, and more technologically ambitious than anything else in its class. It became a Silicon Valley status symbol, a drag-strip party trick, and a genuine disruptor all at once. Without it, Tesla would never have become the world’s most valuable automaker.

The Model X followed in 2015, bringing Tesla’s formula to the booming luxury SUV segment. Its falcon-wing doors and complicated hardware didn’t do it any favors in reliability rankings, but the X still found buyers who wanted an electric SUV long before the market was flooded with them.

Together, the S and X were Tesla’s proof of concept.

Now they’re being retired like aging race cars in a museum.

Why Tesla Is Walking Away

The decision comes as Tesla faces pressure on multiple fronts. Vehicle sales have softened over the past year, as competition from China and other global automakers intensifies and as some buyers recoil from Musk’s increasingly political public persona. Tesla even cut prices on the Model S and X in 2023 to stimulate demand—a quiet acknowledgment that their once-cutting-edge appeal had faded.

Meanwhile, Tesla’s latest financial results, while beating earnings expectations, showed total revenue down 3 percent year over year. Investors liked what they heard anyway, pushing the stock up about 2 percent after hours, likely because Musk continues to sell a future that has little to do with cars.

That future is robotaxis and humanoid robots.

Musk says Fremont will be retooled to build Optimus, Tesla’s still-theoretical line of humanoid robots. They don’t exist as consumer products yet, but Tesla is betting that machines that walk, lift, and work will eventually be more valuable than machines that drive.

A Brand at a Crossroads

For Tesla fans—and for car enthusiasts more broadly—this feels like a strange kind of farewell. The Model S, in particular, wasn’t just another luxury sedan. It changed how the world thought about electric cars. It forced Mercedes, BMW, and Porsche to respond. It made EV performance cool.

And now it’s being sacrificed not for another vehicle, but for a pivot into science fiction.

Tesla says it will continue to support existing Model S and Model X owners for as long as people drive them. But make no mistake: these cars are becoming orphans inside a company that no longer sees its future on four wheels.

Whether Musk’s bet on robots will pay off is still unknown. What is certain is that Tesla is walking away from the cars that made it famous, trading asphalt for algorithms and steering wheels for servo motors.

For an automaker that once promised to reinvent the car, that might be the most radical turn of all.

Source: Tesla

Restomod

Kalmar 7-97 Turbo

Restomods are supposed to be about nostalgia—rose-tinted memories of simpler cars, rebuilt with just enough modern hardware to keep them from leaving you stranded on the side of the road. But Kalmar has never really played that game. When the Danish outfit unveiled its 7-97—a beautifully sharpened take on the Porsche 993—it already felt less like a museum piece and more like a driver’s car turned up to eleven.

Now Kalmar has taken that idea and bolted on a turbocharger.

The result is the 7-97 Turbo, a strictly limited, deeply obsessive homage to the most feared 911 of them all: the 930 Turbo. Only 11 examples will be built, split between coupe and cabriolet, and every one of them exists to answer a single question: What if the Widowmaker had been given modern technology—and modern restraint?

Turbo Power, Without the Terror

The original 7-97 was a purist’s dream. Its naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six made 417 horsepower and delivered its power the old-fashioned way: cleanly, instantly, and with no digital safety net between the driver and the rear tires.

The Turbo Edition throws that restraint out the window. In place of the 4.0 sits a heavily reworked 3.2-liter turbocharged flat-six that makes an outrageous 659 horsepower and 670 Nm of torque. Those are modern 911 Turbo S numbers, wrapped in a body that looks like it just rolled out of a 1990s Porsche press kit.

To survive that kind of boost, Kalmar went deep into the engine. New pistons, reinforced cylinder walls, copper-beryllium head gaskets, and upgraded valve seats all ensure the engine can handle being force-fed at this level. This isn’t a tuned street motor—it’s a purpose-built turbo powerplant designed to live at the edge.

And yes, it sends power to all four wheels. Traction control is standard, because even Kalmar knows 659 horsepower in a 1200-kilogram car is nothing to joke about. But this is still a proper enthusiast machine: three pedals, a gear lever, and no dual-clutch safety blanket in sight.

From Widowmaker to Precision Tool

The original 930 Turbo earned its reputation honestly. Massive turbo lag, brutal power delivery, and rear-heavy balance made it infamous for catching drivers out mid-corner. It was thrilling, but it was also ruthless.

The 7-97 Turbo is built on the opposite philosophy. Kalmar’s goal wasn’t to recreate the terror—it was to recreate the character, minus the unpredictability. Modern electronics, adaptive TracTive dampers, and all-wheel drive give the Turbo Edition a level of composure the old 930 could never dream of.

You can still get sideways if you want to—but now it’s a choice, not an accident.

Carbon-ceramic brakes sit behind 18-inch magnesium center-lock wheels, while the chassis has been reinforced to cope with the forces this thing can generate. Carbon-fiber doors and roof keep the weight at a stunning 1200 kilograms, giving the Kalmar a power-to-weight ratio that edges into supercar territory.

A Subtle, Smarter 930

Visually, Kalmar showed rare restraint. The 7-97 Turbo doesn’t scream for attention. Instead, it refines the 993 shape into something that feels both familiar and subtly more aggressive.

The rear wears a new whale-tail spoiler, a clear nod to the 930, while the front blends design cues from several vintage 911s, including a grille inspired by the 1967 911R. It’s retro, but not cartoonish—exactly the kind of design that makes you look twice without ever feeling forced.

Inside, the Turbo Edition sticks close to the standard 7-97 formula, but with bespoke details to suit its boosted personality. The example shown wears Recaro Sportster CS seats trimmed in dark brown leather, but with only 11 cars planned, buyers will have near-total freedom to tailor the cabin to their own taste.

A Restomod With Supercar Punch

What Kalmar has created isn’t just a faster 7-97—it’s a redefinition of what a classic-inspired 911 can be. With power that rivals today’s best from Stuttgart, a curb weight that embarrasses them, and a manual gearbox to keep things honest, the 7-97 Turbo sits in a class of its own.

It’s not trying to replace a modern 911 Turbo S. It’s trying to do something far more interesting: deliver that level of performance while making you feel like you’re driving a piece of Porsche’s most notorious history.

The Widowmaker has been tamed—but it hasn’t been neutered. And for the lucky 11 people who get one, that might be the ultimate version of the turbocharged 911.

Source: Kalmar Automotive

NEW CARS

2026 Renault Duster

The Renault Duster is back, and this time it’s not just trying to be relevant—it’s trying to remind everyone that it basically invented the game. When the original Duster launched in India in 2012, it more or less created the compact SUV segment before “compact SUV” became the most overused phrase in the industry. Nearly two million global customers later, Renault is rolling out an all-new Duster for 2026, reengineered from the ground up and tailored specifically for a market that now buys SUVs like they’re smartphones.

And make no mistake: India is the main event. SUVs now account for about 55 percent of passenger car sales there, up from just 12 percent when the first Duster arrived. Renault’s answer is a third-generation model that looks tougher, feels more premium, and finally brings hybrid tech into the fight.

Built in Chennai, Aimed at the World

The new Duster will be built at Renault’s massive Chennai plant, which has already churned out more than three million vehicles and supplies over 100 export markets. It’s part of Renault’s broader €3 billion global strategy, with India positioned as one of five key industrial hubs outside Europe.

Translation: this isn’t a niche product. The Duster is once again a core model, with India as the launch pad before it heads to South Africa and the Gulf States.

Rugged, But Now With Actual Design

The old Duster had charm, but subtlety was never its thing. The new one still leans into that rugged DNA, just with sharper tailoring. The proportions are muscular, the shoulder line is strong, and the ground clearance—21.2 centimeters—puts many so-called SUVs to shame.

Up front, a trapezoidal grille and Renault’s latest LED lighting signature give it a modern face, while the rear gets a full-width light bar that visually stretches the body. It’s all very on-trend, but still convincingly tough, helped by skid plates, chunky wheel arches, roof rails, and approach and departure angles that suggest it won’t panic the moment the road turns to dirt.

At 4.34 meters long, it’s compact enough for city life but rides on a long 2.66-meter wheelbase, which pays dividends inside.

Finally, a Cabin That Feels 2026

The interior is where the new Duster makes its biggest leap. Gone is the bargain-basement vibe. In its place is Renault’s OpenR twin-screen setup, with up to a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.1-inch central touchscreen.

And yes, it runs Google. Properly. Google Maps, Google Assistant, and Google Play are all built in, making the Duster one of the most connected cars in its class. You talk to it, it listens, and it doesn’t need your phone to do basic things.

The center console now looks like something from a segment above, with an electronic shifter, wireless charging, USB-C ports, a cooled storage box, and 33 liters of total cabin storage. There’s also ventilated power seats, dual-zone climate control with air filtration, a panoramic sunroof, and a powered tailgate—features that would’ve sounded like science fiction in the original Duster.

Boot space sits at a healthy 518 liters, expanding to nearly 1,800 liters with the rear seats folded. In practical terms, it’s ready for both IKEA and actual adventures.

Hybrid Power Leads the Lineup

The headline act is the new full hybrid E-Tech 160 system, the first of its kind for Renault in India. It pairs a 1.8-liter petrol engine with two electric motors and a multi-mode automatic gearbox that juggles 15 different operating scenarios. Total output is 160 horsepower, and in urban driving, Renault claims the Duster can run in electric mode up to 80 percent of the time.

Fuel savings of up to 40 percent and a claimed total range of around 620 miles put it firmly in the efficiency conversation, without forcing buyers into full EV territory.

For those who prefer old-school turbocharged noise, there are two petrol options: a 1.0-liter three-cylinder with 100 hp and a 1.3-liter four-cylinder with 160 hp, the latter available with either a manual or dual-clutch automatic.

The suspension setup remains simple—MacPherson struts up front, torsion beam at the rear—but tuned to balance comfort and stability. In other words, it’s built to survive real roads, not just smooth press cars and Instagram reels.

Safety Tech That Actually Competes

The new Duster comes loaded with 17 driver-assistance systems, including adaptive cruise with stop-and-go, lane keeping, automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, and traffic sign recognition. There’s also a full 360-degree camera system and something Renault calls Flank Protection, which basically helps stop you from scraping expensive bodywork in tight spaces.

Crucially, most of it can be customized through the touchscreen, instead of being permanently annoying.

The Duster, But for a Different Era

The original Duster won by being cheap, tough, and honest. The new one is still tough, but it’s also digital, electrified, and surprisingly sophisticated. It’s no longer just a budget SUV with attitude—it’s a fully modern global product aimed at buyers who expect tech, safety, and efficiency without giving up the ability to leave the pavement behind.

In a segment that the Duster helped create—and that’s now crowded with rivals—the 2026 Renault Duster isn’t trying to start the conversation again. It’s trying to finish it.

Source: Renault

Cars and catalogues