NEW CARS

2027 Nissan X-Trail: Back to Rugged Roots, Aiming for the Segment’s Throne

Nissan is gearing up for one of its most important launches of the decade: an all-new X-Trail—known to American buyers as the Rogue—scheduled to make its debut in 2027. The stakes couldn’t be higher. This is Nissan’s challenger in the biggest, most cutthroat segment on the planet, chasing the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V, two of the world’s top-selling vehicles. And Nissan knows the current model has lost ground.

The plan was first teased by Nissan executive Ivan Espinosa and later sharpened by design chief Alfonso Albaisa, who didn’t mince words about the mission: the next X-Trail has to stand out again.

A Nameplate in Need of a Comeback

The fourth-generation X-Trail has only been around since 2021, but compared to the tougher, boxier first two generations, it’s struggled to recapture its former popularity—especially in markets where rugged looks are trending hard. Meanwhile, both the RAV4 and CR-V continue to post monster sales.

So Nissan is fast-tracking a replacement, aiming to restore some of that original character without sacrificing the family-friendly practicality that keeps this segment humming.

Albaisa described the challenge clearly: “The trick with the Rogue is the functionality of that car leading the segment. The roominess is a nice balance for its size. But it’s lost its punch… People are reacting to things that look a bit more different.”

In other words: keep the usefulness, dial up the attitude.

A Sharper, Boxier, More Distinctive Look

Expect the next X-Trail to hold roughly the same footprint—five or seven seats, big cargo space, and a shape that won’t alienate the family-SUV crowd. But the design team is adding more visual edge this time around.

Albaisa says the new model will have “a bit more edginess” and be “a bit more boxy than today, but with a futuristic expression.” Nissan has apparently been experimenting with new textures and bolder surfacing, aiming for something more distinctive than the current model’s safe, rounded shape.

Rugged design is making a comeback across the industry—Bronco, Defender, and even Hyundai’s Santa Fe are proof—and Nissan wants in. Considering the original X-Trail helped define this look back in the early 2000s, this isn’t just a shift; it’s a return to form.

Refined but Tough: A New Identity with e-Power

Although ruggedness will guide the design theme, Albaisa stresses that refinement will play an equally big role. The new X-Trail will continue offering Nissan’s e-Power hybrid system, and this time, it’s coming to the U.S. for the very first time.

That alone could reshape the Rogue’s identity. e-Power operates differently from typical hybrids—the petrol engine generates electricity, and the wheels are driven exclusively by electric motors. Smooth, quiet, EV-like driving without a plug. Nissan clearly thinks this is a game-changer for the segment.

Given that electrification is becoming a hallmark of modern design language, expect subtle cues hinting at the X-Trail’s hybrid-heavy personality.

One thing it won’t have? A full battery-electric powertrain. Nissan is cooking up a separate, dedicated EV with more space and flexibility than the Ariya, but details remain tightly locked away.

Cabin Inspired by the New Leaf

Inside, the next X-Trail should leap forward in tech and ergonomics. Nissan recently invested big in a new Google-based infotainment platform, debuting in the next-gen Leaf, and the X-Trail is expected to adopt a similar dual-screen layout.

But unlike some competitors retreating into screen-only minimalism, Nissan knows its audience. Expect physical climate controls, durable materials, plenty of storage spaces, and seating that can handle real family abuse. The waterproof upholstery from the N-Trek trim is likely to influence future color and material choices as well.

Reveals Coming Soon

The next Rogue will break cover first, likely in late 2026, with the Japanese and European-market X-Trail variants following closely in early 2027. Considering Nissan’s urgent tone, expect a sharp swing toward distinctiveness, capability, and personality—something to reignite the spark that made the original X-Trail such a hit.

If Nissan delivers on the promise of “more wow and more spice,” the segment’s heavyweights may finally have something to worry about again.

Source: Auto Express

News

Stellantis Shows Off the Next Leap in Automated Driving at Hi-Drive Brussels

If you want a glimpse at the road ahead—one where your car reads the world as fluently as you do—Stellantis just offered a clear window into that future. At the Hi-Drive Final Event in Brussels, the global automaker laid out its most advanced automated-driving tech yet, and it’s aimed squarely at tackling the messy, unpredictable, very real world the rest of us drive in every day.

Hi-Drive, Europe’s flagship automation program, is built around one mission: move automated driving beyond the carefully manicured test route and into the gritty, chaotic mix of urban streets, highways, and everything in between. The project’s researchers aren’t just building smarter cars—they’re trying to prove those cars can behave reliably, safely, and intelligently in the wild.

“Hi-Drive is a great example of open innovation,” said Anne Laliron, Stellantis’s SVP of Technology Research. She emphasized that collaboration with Europe’s leading tech and research players is helping the company accelerate automated driving from lab theory to practical mobility. And at Brussels, Stellantis backed that up with metal—and a whole lot of sensors.

Two Test Cars, Two Approaches to the Future

Stellantis brought two “Living Lab” cars to demonstrate how its next-gen systems are taking shape.

Peugeot e-2008 Prototype
Sitting under a rooftop sensor stack that looks ready to map Mars, the e-2008 bristles with hardware: eight lidars, nine cameras, four radars, plus both short-range and cellular V2X communications. This isn’t gadget overload—it’s how the car builds a 360-degree view of its world. The setup is designed for dense urban environments, where automated systems must identify everything from cyclists weaving between lanes to sudden pedestrian crossings.

Maserati Levante (MY2018) Prototype
The Levante, on the other hand, focused on high-definition mapping and V2X communication. Using digital-signal messaging from infrastructure and other vehicles, it can interpret hazard alerts, react to dynamic road signage, and generally stay far more aware than any system relying on onboard sensors alone. The goal: driving that’s safer because the car knows more than what’s visible through the windshield.

Why Connectivity Is the Real Secret Sauce

If automated driving has a backbone, Stellantis believes it’s advanced connectivity. Short-range communication, 5G cellular networks, and high-speed data exchange will allow future automated vehicles—not just Stellantis’s—to feed each other traffic info, road conditions, and safety alerts.

In other words: your next car won’t just see the world. It’ll talk about it.

What Stellantis Is Doing Right Now

While Level 4 driverless vehicles are still in development, Stellantis is focusing on practical, usable tech today. That includes real-time traffic updates, driver-assist safety systems, and Level 2+ hands-free highway features—tools meant to ease the mental load rather than take over entirely.

But the company clearly has no intention of stopping there. It has two major parallel collaborations pushing toward scalable robotaxi-level autonomy:

  • NVIDIA, Uber, and Foxconn
  • Pony.ai

Both programs will run on Stellantis’s new AV-Ready Platform™, the company’s flexible architecture built to underpin a wide range of autonomous passenger and commercial vehicles.

The Big Picture

Stellantis isn’t just chasing a buzzword future of “smart mobility.” The company is investing heavily in automated driving as a long-term strategy—one that sees future cities where vehicles are cleaner, safer, more aware, and increasingly driverless.

If the tech shown in Brussels is any indication, Stellantis is betting that the next generation of mobility won’t just assist the driver… it may replace the driver altogether.

Source: Stellantis

NEW CARS

Lamborghini Temerario Ad Personam: Miami Gets the Wildest Bull Yet

Lamborghini doesn’t tend to whisper, but last night in Miami Beach the brand practically lit up the coastline. At the sculptural 1111 Lincoln Road venue, before more than 500 customers and VIPs, Automobili Lamborghini pulled the cover off a one-off Temerario Ad Personam—a hyper-customized take on its newest mid-engine supercar and a rolling billboard for just how far the Ad Personam personalization program can go.

The Temerario itself is already a headline car: an all-new twin-turbo V8 hybrid, the first in Lamborghini history, and the only production supercar capable of spinning to 10,000 rpm. In a world moving rapidly toward electrification, it’s a defiant reminder that Sant’Agata still believes in mechanical crescendo—only now fortified with electrons.

A 320-Hour Paint Job That Borders on Absurd (in a Good Way)

This Ad Personam configuration wears a finish that took Lamborghini’s artisans more time than some carmakers spend building an entire chassis. Three hundred twenty hours of hand-applied paintwork were required to create a crystalline, multi-layered pattern blending Verde Shock, Grigio Maat, and Nero Nemesis. It’s less “custom color” and more “moving art installation.”
The effect highlights the sharp surfacing and air-hungry intakes of the Alleggerita package, which swaps in enough carbon fiber to keep track-day regulars busy bragging in pit lanes.

Inside: Craftsmanship Turned Up to Eleven

The cabin mirrors the drama. Grigio Octans sport seats, stitched with Verde Scandal accents, set the tone. Lamborghini even carried the crystal-effect pattern inside: the start/stop flap receives the same intricate finish as the exterior. The embroidery—both the Temerario script on the seats and the Bull emblem on the rear wall—is executed using a technique designed to echo the complexity of the paintwork.

As if there were any doubt about its status, an Ad Personam signature plate confirms the car as a one-off curation.

Lamborghini’s Leadership: Personalization as Peak Luxury

Chairman and CEO Stephan Winkelmann summed up the ethos behind the machine: true luxury equals personal expression. To him, the Temerario represents the convergence of cutting-edge hybrid tech, Italian craftsmanship, and limitless customization, pushing Lamborghini’s future identity into sharper focus.

Production of the model begins at Lamborghini’s Sant’Agata Bolognese headquarters, the cradle of the brand’s Made-in-Italy philosophy. First customer deliveries land in Q1 2026, making this Miami appearance a preview of a major new chapter for the company.

A Physical Debut with a Digital Shadow

Lamborghini also tied the reveal into its growing digital ecosystem, integrating this exact configuration into Fast ForWorld, the brand’s engagement platform. Guests could explore a full 1:1 digital twin of the car, check out the new Ledger Stax x Lamborghini Edition hardware wallet, and interact with the Lamborghini ID, a verified-ownership system created with Moca Network. A Vesaro simulator completed the tech-core experience with a virtual taste of Temerario performance.

Hybrid Performance Benchmarks on Display

Lamborghini also rolled out its electrified heavy hitters for context.
The Urus SE, the first plug-in hybrid Urus, brought its 800-hp V8+electric combo.
Nearby, the Revuelto—still the most powerful Lamborghini ever—demonstrated what happens when a 6.5-liter V12 teams up with three electric motors for 1,015 horsepower.

Park the Temerario between these two and you see the through-line: this is a brand using hybridization as a performance multiplier, not a compromise.

The Takeaway

The Temerario Ad Personam isn’t merely a showpiece; it’s a declaration. Lamborghini’s message is blunt and unmistakable: the future of the supercar isn’t quieter or tamer—it’s louder, brighter, more customized, and more electrified than ever. And if this crystal-painted, 10,000-rpm hybrid monster is any indication, Lamborghini plans to lead that charge with theatrical precision.

Source: Lamborghini

Cars and catalogues