Tag Archives: vehicles

News

Hyundai to launch five new EVs in the next two years

By the time Milan Design Week wraps up this April, Hyundai will have thrown a very pointed gauntlet into the compact-EV arena. It’s called the Ioniq 3, and it’s aimed squarely at the heart of Europe’s most hotly contested electric segment.

Think Volkswagen ID.3, Renault Mégane E-Tech, and Peugeot e-308—but with Hyundai’s design swagger and the kind of platform sharing that’s made the Korean group such a quiet juggernaut in the EV space. Previewed by last year’s Concept Three, the Ioniq 3 will be Hyundai’s new electric hatchback for the masses, sliding neatly between the city-sized Inster and the family-friendly Ioniq 5.

Underneath, it rides on the 400-volt version of Hyundai-Kia’s E-GMP architecture—the same bones as the upcoming Kia EV4—bringing with it shared motors and battery packs. The biggest of those should be good for around 390 miles of range on Europe’s optimistic test cycle, which, even after real-world trimming, still puts it in the sweet spot for daily commuting and long-haul autobahn runs alike.

Hyundai plans to build the Ioniq 3 in Izmit, Turkey, starting late this summer, on the same lines as the gasoline-powered i20. That dual-track production strategy says a lot about where Hyundai’s head is right now: all-in on electrification, but smart enough not to bet the company on one powertrain alone. Expect prices to start around £35,000, making it a direct, unapologetic rival to Europe’s EV establishment.

Size-wise, think i20 footprint with i30-grade interior room—a trick made possible by the flat-floor, skateboard-style EV platform. That’s exactly the sort of packaging magic that’s turned once-humble hatchbacks into legit family cars, and it’s why the B- and C-segments are where the real EV fight is happening.

And Hyundai isn’t stopping at one. The Ioniq 3 is just the opening act in a five-model electrified blitz planned for Europe over the next 18 months. Two more small-car EVs are on the way, and don’t be surprised if one of them takes on a more SUV-ish stance, mirroring Kia’s EV3/EV4 double act.

At the same time, Hyundai is hedging with hybrids. A heavily revised i30 is in the works, along with a new Tucson and a second-gen Bayon—all set to go hybrid-only. It’s a pragmatic approach in a market where EV demand is still spiky and uneven from country to country.

“We’re betting on hybrids and EVs for the next few years,” says Hyundai Europe CEO Xavier Martinet, and he’s refreshingly candid about the uncertainty baked into Europe’s electrified future. Regulations change. Incentives come and go. Geopolitics gets messy. Hyundai’s answer is flexibility—something it can afford thanks to its vertically integrated empire that spans everything from batteries and software to robotics and heavy industry.

That agility is already paying off. Last year, Hyundai’s EV sales in Europe jumped 48 percent, pushing the brand to an 18-percent electric mix and helping it hit its CO₂ targets without leaning on emissions pooling. Hybrid and plug-in sales rose too, and overall the company grabbed a 4.5-percent slice of the European market, with the UK now its single biggest territory.

The message is clear: Hyundai doesn’t just want a piece of Europe’s EV future—it wants to own it. And the Ioniq 3, a compact hatch with big ambitions, is poised to be the car that makes that vision feel very real indeed.

Source: Hyundai

News

Lamborghini Touches Down in Cairo, Bringing V-12 Thunder to North Africa

Lamborghini officially planted its flag in Egypt with the opening of Lamborghini Cairo, the brand’s first flagship showroom in the country and the first official Lamborghini dealership in North Africa. Automobili Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann flew in for the ribbon-cutting, signaling that this isn’t just another dealership—it’s a strategic statement that the raging bull intends to charge hard into one of the Middle East and Africa’s most promising luxury markets.

In Lamborghini-speak, this is more than a store. It’s a brand embassy.

A Supercar Beachhead in a Growing Market

Egypt may not yet be a supercar hotspot on the level of Dubai or Monaco, but Lamborghini clearly sees something brewing. A rising class of wealthy, globally minded buyers—and a hunger for ultra-luxury—has made Cairo a market too big to ignore.

“Egypt is a market with immense potential,” Winkelmann said during the opening, pointing out that Lamborghini’s now-fully hybridized lineup blends electrification with the drama and speed that define the brand.

Translation: Lamborghini wants Egypt to experience the future of Sant’Agata Bolognese, not just its past.

More Than a Showroom

Located on Joseph Titto Road in New Nozha, Lamborghini Cairo spans 300 square meters and is run by MM Group, one of Egypt’s most established luxury automotive players. But this isn’t just a place to sign papers and grab a key fob.

It’s a fully immersive Lamborghini environment—designed to global corporate standards—with Italian design, sharp lighting, high-tech displays, and a layout meant to make every visit feel like a private auto show.

There’s also a full aftersales operation with certified technicians and genuine Lamborghini parts, which matters just as much as the cars themselves. Supercars aren’t just bought; they’re maintained, tuned, and obsessively cared for. Lamborghini knows that long-term ownership experience is what keeps customers coming back for their next V-10 or V-12.

Where You Spec Your Dream Lambo

One of the stars of the showroom is Lamborghini’s Ad Personam personalization studio—a space dedicated to the kind of obsessive detail that turns a Lamborghini from a car into your Lamborghini.

Buyers can choose from a dizzying range of paint finishes, interior colors, stitching patterns, leathers, and exotic materials. A digital configurator lets clients see their dream machine come together in real time, all while sipping cocktails in a private hospitality lounge. It’s part luxury boutique, part design lab, part high-octane fantasy.

Meet the New Bulls

To show Egypt exactly what Lamborghini is about in 2026, the brand brought two heavy hitters to the opening night.

First up was the Revuelto, Lamborghini’s first V-12 High Performance Electrified Vehicle (HPEV), finished in Grigio Keres. This is the future of Lamborghini distilled into one outrageous package: a screaming twelve-cylinder engine backed by electric motors that sharpen performance while lowering emissions.

Then there was the Urus SE, Lamborghini’s plug-in hybrid super SUV, displayed in Nero Helene. It’s fast, luxurious, and practical enough to be driven daily—at least by someone whose daily commute involves marble driveways and valet parking.

Together, they tell Lamborghini’s new story: electrified, but still unapologetically insane.

A Bullish Bet on Egypt

The opening of Lamborghini Cairo isn’t just about selling cars—it’s about building a local Lamborghini culture through private events, curated experiences, and a growing community of collectors and enthusiasts.

As Hany Salem, General Manager of Lamborghini Cairo, put it, this marks the arrival of Lamborghini not just in Egypt, but in North Africa as a whole.

And for a brand that thrives on drama, design, and excess, there’s something fitting about adding Cairo—a city of ancient monuments and modern ambition—to its global map.

One thing’s for sure: Egypt just got a lot louder. And the sound it’s making is a hybridized, V-12-backed Italian roar.

Source: Lamborghini

News

Mercedes Rewrites Luxury with a Leather-Free S-Class

Car companies love to show off their halo cars the way fashion houses stage runway looks: dripping in indulgence, trimmed in every conceivable luxury, and photographed under flattering lights. The base models—the ones real people actually buy—are usually kept out of frame. But click through Mercedes-Benz’s online configurator for the new W223-generation S-Class and you’ll stumble upon something quietly radical: a flagship luxury sedan with no real leather in sight.

Yes, the S-Class—the rolling benchmark for automotive excess—can now be ordered with cloth.

In Germany, that entry point comes in the form of the S 350 d 4Matic, a short-wheelbase diesel that starts at €121,356. That’s well into six-figure territory, which makes the standard interior spec feel almost mischievous. Mercedes says this is the first time an S-Class has officially been offered without leather, and the materials list backs that up. Instead of cowhide, the seats use Artico synthetic leather on the bolsters paired with a linen and recycled-polyester fabric in the center sections. White piping outlines the cushions for a subtle contrast, while the door panels wear imitation leather with diamond stitching—just enough flair to remind you this is still the brand’s luxury flagship.

If that sounds too ascetic for your tastes, Mercedes will happily swap in an all-black leather interior at no extra charge. But the important part is the choice. In a segment where leather has long been treated as non-negotiable, Mercedes is suddenly saying: maybe it isn’t.

The rest of the base S-Class spec is similarly restrained but far from spartan. It rides on 18-inch wheels and comes standard in gray, though black paint is a free upgrade on the German market. The much-touted passenger-side display, optional on lesser Mercs, is included here, and the facelifted steering wheel has quietly improved with fewer fiddly touch controls and more honest-to-goodness physical buttons. Small win, big relief.

What’s really interesting, though, is the philosophy behind this interior. Mercedes isn’t positioning the vegan-friendly trim as a cost-cutting exercise or a begrudging concession. It’s presented as a first-class option, a legitimate alternative to leather rather than a downgrade. That matters, especially as more buyers start to question the environmental and ethical footprint of traditional hides—after all, a high-end leather interior can require the skins of more than ten cows.

So here we are: a Mercedes-Benz S-Class that costs more than a suburban house in some countries, yet proudly wears fabric seats and recycled materials. In any other context, that might sound absurd. In 2026, it feels oddly forward-thinking.

Luxury, it turns out, isn’t just about what you add. Sometimes, it’s about what you choose not to.

Source: Mercedes-Benz