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Honda Sets the Pace at the 2026 Rose Parade with “The Power of Teams”

On New Year’s Day, Honda will once again claim center stage in Pasadena, leading the 137th Rose Parade® with a float that blends brand philosophy, motorsport energy, and American sporting culture into one unified statement. Titled “The Power of Teams,” the 2026 Honda float brings the company’s long-standing slogan, The Power of Dreams, into physical form—this time with a clear message: progress is strongest when it’s shared.

At the heart of the float is a floral tableau depicting three figures who define Honda’s world: an engineer, a Team USA athlete, and a race car driver. Together, they symbolize collaboration across disciplines—design, sport, and competition—each pushing limits, but always as part of something bigger.

Jennifer Symington, assistant vice president of marketing for American Honda, describes the Rose Parade as a moment when the brand’s values come alive. For Honda, “The Power of Teams” reflects not only its partnerships with elite athletes and race teams, but also the thousands of associates who design, build, sell, and support its vehicles every day. The ambition is simple but resonant: inspire people to dream boldly, and to do it together.

A Moving Showcase of Unity and Innovation

Created in line with the 2026 parade theme, “The Magic in Teamwork,” the float features an elevated circular track carrying a trio of vehicles: a Honda-powered race car, a USA Bobsled, and the all-new 2026 Honda Prelude hybrid sports coupe. The visual is deliberate—different machines, different missions, one shared path forward.

Anchoring the design is a striking red arch paying tribute to Los Angeles, the city where American Honda began its journey more than six decades ago. Looking ahead, the float also points toward Honda’s future role on the global stage, as a Founding Partner of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Official Automotive Partner of Team USA.

Behind the scenes, the float was designed by Fastport, Honda’s emerging micromobility venture based in Torrance, California. Known for rethinking last-mile delivery, Fastport will also showcase its zero-emissions eQuad cargo vehicle during the parade—an understated but meaningful nod to Honda’s broader mobility vision beyond passenger cars.

Music, Movement, and Momentum

Honda’s float will anchor the parade’s Opening Spectacular with a high-energy performance led by global vocal powerhouse Bishop Briggs, joined by 24 world-class dancers. Briggs will perform her platinum-selling hit “River” alongside “Champion,” reinforcing the themes of resilience, teamwork, and shared victory. With billions of streams and views to her name, Briggs is no stranger to cultural impact—and her return collaboration with Honda builds on their earlier work during the TrailSport “Chasing Greatness” campaign.

The Vehicles Leading the Way

At the front of the parade, the 2026 Honda Prelude hybrid takes on a symbolic role as both pace car and statement piece. Marking Honda’s 32nd year as the Rose Parade’s Official Vehicle, the Prelude expands the brand’s hybrid lineup and reintroduces a storied nameplate with modern intent. Notably, it debuts Honda S+ Shift, a new drive mode designed to simulate a performance transmission experience and heighten driver engagement—an enthusiast-leaning touch in an increasingly electrified era.

Technology is central to the Prelude’s appeal, with a large touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto™, Google built-in functionality, a Bose premium audio system, and wireless smartphone charging all standard.

Acura, Honda’s premium performance brand, will also make its Rose Parade debut with the all-new Acura ADX, serving as the 2026 Official Sound Car. Positioned as the brand’s new gateway SUV, the ADX underscores Acura’s reputation for audio excellence with a bespoke 15-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, developed exclusively for the model. Inside, the ADX pairs performance-focused design with seamless connectivity, including available Google built-in services and standard wireless smartphone integration.

Supporting the spectacle is a diverse fleet of Honda mobility solutions: 100 Motocompactos, classic Honda Metropolitan scooters, Pioneer side-by-sides, Fastport eQuads, and electrified staples like the Honda Prologue, CR-V Hybrid, and Odyssey, all keeping the parade moving smoothly behind the scenes.

More Than a Float

For Honda, the Rose Parade has never been just a ceremonial lap—it’s a rolling manifesto. In 2026, “The Power of Teams” reinforces a simple idea with broad relevance: innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. Whether on the road, on the track, or on the world’s biggest sporting stages, Honda’s message is clear—dreams go further when they’re powered by teamwork.

Source: Honda

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Bertone Returns Home: Turin Reclaims a Pillar of Italian Automotive Design

Turin is preparing to welcome back one of the most significant chapters of its automotive history. During the presentation of Salone Auto Torino 2026, it was officially announced that the prestigious ASI–Bertone Collection will return to the Piedmont capital, marking a long-awaited homecoming for one of Italy’s most influential design legacies.

Thanks to an agreement between the Automotoclub Storico Italiano (ASI) and Stellantis Heritage, the collection will be exhibited in early 2026 at the Heritage Hub, located at Via Plava 80. The vehicles—ranging from production models to experimental prototypes and unique one-off creations—have been safeguarded by ASI since 2015. Their return to Turin represents far more than a simple relocation: it is a cultural reconnection between the city and a body of work that helped define its global reputation.

Spanning more than six decades, from the 1950s to the early 2000s, the ASI–Bertone Collection tells the story of Turin’s unmistakable influence on automotive styling. These cars reflect the evolution of form, technology, and ambition that emerged from the city’s design studios, where creativity and engineering were fused into objects that reshaped international automotive culture.

Roberto Giolito, Head of Stellantis Heritage Italy, underlined the broader significance of the initiative. “The mission of the Heritage Hub is to tell, through a transformative perspective, how more than one hundred years of automotive history are deeply connected to the city of Turin,” he explained. According to Giolito, the arrival of the ASI–Bertone Collection strengthens the Hub’s role as a unique museum space—one capable of narrating key milestones in automotive development, from motorsport and limited-series models to emissions reduction and city cars that changed global mobility.

Located in Mirafiori within the former Officina 81, the Heritage Hub continues to establish itself as an international reference point for the preservation and interpretation of Italy’s automotive heritage. The addition of the Bertone collection not only enriches the vehicles already on display, but also reinforces Turin’s status as the historic capital of automotive know-how.

More than a museum exhibit, the return of the ASI–Bertone Collection is a reaffirmation of identity. It celebrates a legacy built on innovation, style, and technical daring—values that have defined both Bertone and Turin for generations. As 2026 approaches, the city prepares to once again showcase a heritage that shaped the past and continues to inspire the future of automotive design.

Source: Stellantis

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Mercedes-Benz Expands Its Vision Beyond Cars with Binghatti City in Dubai

Mercedes-Benz has long been in the business of shaping desire on four wheels. Now, once again, the three-pointed star is extending that philosophy far beyond the road.

The German marque has announced its second branded real-estate collaboration with Dubai-based developer Binghatti: Mercedes-Benz Places | Binghatti City. Planned for the Meydan area of Dubai, the project represents a significant step change in ambition. Not only is it Binghatti’s first fully masterplanned community, it also transforms Mercedes-Benz Places from a single statement tower into a multi-tower urban district spanning an extraordinary nine million square feet.

Rather than a standalone landmark, Mercedes-Benz Places | Binghatti City is envisioned as an integrated ecosystem. Residential towers will sit within a carefully curated urban fabric that blends design, mobility and community, echoing the brand’s holistic approach to modern luxury. The aim is clear: to create a place where the Mercedes-Benz identity is not simply seen, but lived.

“Creating extraordinary experiences for our customers is at the core of who we are,” said Mathias Geisen, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, responsible for Marketing & Sales. “With our next branded real estate project ‘Mercedes-Benz Places – Binghatti City’ in Dubai we are taking this promise to a new level – shaping destinations where our brand becomes something you can truly call home.”

At the heart of the masterplan is the idea of a “city within a city”. Luxury residences will be complemented by cultural and leisure destinations, retail boulevards, parks and green corridors, as well as wellness, sports and dining zones. Mobility hubs are designed into the fabric of the development, underlining the automotive brand’s natural interest in how people move through and experience space. Daily needs are intended to be within walking distance, creating a coherent environment where architecture, services and mobility work in unison.

For Binghatti, the partnership reinforces a shared design and engineering mindset. “To partner once again with Mercedes-Benz is a testament to our shared philosophy of excellence, precision and timeless design,” said Muhammad BinGhatti, Chairman of Binghatti Developers. “‘Mercedes-Benz Places – Binghatti City’ is envisioned as a world-class urban experience, a place where luxury and innovation converge to create a complete city within a city.”

The project builds on the momentum of the Mercedes-Benz Places concept, which debuted in Downtown Dubai with a 65-storey residential tower now under development. That initial collaboration marked the brand’s first major step into real estate. Since then, the concept has crossed the Atlantic to Miami in partnership with JDS Development Group, becoming Mercedes-Benz’s first U.S. real-estate venture, where construction is underway and sales are already active.

With Binghatti City, Mercedes-Benz is taking the idea further, evolving from a singular architectural statement into a connected district. Central to this evolution is the translation of the brand’s “Sensual Purity” design philosophy from automotive form into architectural language. Long associated with sculptural surfaces, clarity of line and emotional appeal in Mercedes-Benz vehicles, Sensual Purity now informs spaces, materials and proportions at an urban scale.

For an automotive brand, branded real estate is no longer a novelty but a strategic extension. Mercedes-Benz Places reflects a broader commitment to holistic brand experiences, creating new touchpoints beyond the showroom or the driver’s seat. Residents are promised not just luxury living, but access to advanced mobility solutions and environments shaped by the same design minds responsible for some of the brand’s most iconic cars.

In Dubai’s ever-competitive skyline, Mercedes-Benz Places | Binghatti City is positioned as more than another luxury development. It is a statement of intent: that the future of premium automotive brands may be as much about shaping how we live as about redefining how we drive.

Source: Mercedes-Benz