Tag Archives: vehicles

NEW CARS

2027 Ford Bronco RTR

Ford has never been shy about stretching the Bronco nameplate, and for 2027 it’s doing exactly that—again. Meet the Ford Bronco RTR, a factory-backed off-roader born from Ford Performance and Vaughn Gittin Jr.’s RTR Vehicles. The pitch is simple and compelling: Raptor-style high-speed desert capability, dialed-up visual drama, and a starting price that undercuts some of the Bronco lineup’s more hardcore trims.

If you’ve been paying attention to RTR’s work on Mustangs and Broncos, this move feels inevitable. RTR-built rigs have long blended attitude with real performance upgrades, and now Ford is folding that recipe directly into the production lineup. The Bronco RTR isn’t a dealer-installed appearance package—it’s a purpose-built model with meaningful hardware changes.

Start with the basics. Standard equipment includes 33-inch all-terrain tires wrapped around RTR’s beadlock-capable Evo 6 wheels. A high-clearance suspension adds a modest lift, while Hyper Lime accents, an RTR grille, and distinctive lighting give the Bronco RTR a look that’s impossible to miss, especially when it’s barreling toward you across open desert.

But the real story here isn’t the paint and plastic. Ford and RTR have poured serious desert-racing know-how into this truck, most notably through revised engine software. The Bronco RTR gets off-road–optimized anti-lag technology that keeps the turbo spinning even when you lift, maintaining boost for smoother, more predictable throttle response. It’s the kind of tweak you don’t notice on the spec sheet—but you absolutely feel when you’re flying over washboard at speed.

To keep things cool when the terrain—and temperature—turn brutal, Ford also installs the Bronco Raptor’s cooling fan. That’s a strong signal that this truck is designed to be driven hard for extended periods, not just posed for social media.

For buyers who want to go all-in, there’s the optional Sasquatch package. That upgrade swaps the standard 33s for 35-inch tires and, more importantly, brings the HOSS 3.0 suspension into the mix with Fox dampers. Previously reserved for the Badlands, HOSS 3.0 trickling down the Bronco lineup is a win for enthusiasts—and it transforms the RTR into a much more serious high-speed off-road weapon.

Ford is also keen to emphasize value. According to Bronco brand manager Haley Skiko, the Bronco RTR is meant to be a “sweet spot” in the lineup, delivering Raptor-inspired performance at a lower starting price than a Badlands Sasquatch. Translation: it’s aimed squarely at buyers who want real desert capability without the full Raptor commitment—or cost.

The Bronco RTR will make its public debut at the 2026 Detroit Auto Show, with a more natural habitat awaiting it shortly after at King of the Hammers in Johnson Valley. Orders open in October, and deliveries are slated for January 2027.

In a lineup that’s already crowded with capable trims, the Bronco RTR still manages to carve out its own identity. It’s louder, faster, and more desert-focused than most Broncos—and crucially, it feels like more than just another badge. If Ford’s goal was to inject RTR’s racing DNA straight into the showroom, this Bronco looks like a mission accomplished.

Source: Ford

NEW CARS

The Jensen Interceptor Is Back—and This Time It’s Packing American V-8 Thunder Again

Some names never really die. They just wait for the right moment—and the right engine—to come roaring back. The Jensen Interceptor, one of Britain’s most charismatic muscle-bound grand tourers, is officially set for resurrection, nearly 50 years after the last original rolled off the line. And yes, it’s bringing a V-8 with it.

The reborn Interceptor comes courtesy of Jensen International Automotive (JIA), a Banbury-based outfit best known for painstakingly restoring and reimagining classic Interceptors into modern restomods like the Interceptor R. This time, though, JIA isn’t reworking history—it’s writing a fresh chapter. The upcoming GT is the company’s first clean-sheet design, a fully new car that merely tips its hat to the past.

Production will be extremely limited—“ultra-low,” in JIA’s words—which is shorthand for don’t ask the price unless you already know you can afford it. Hand-built in Britain, the new Interceptor positions itself as an ultra-high-performance luxury GT aimed squarely at drivers who think the word “analogue” is a compliment.

That philosophy should resonate with anyone tired of capacitive sliders and menu-diving. JIA promises a fully analogue driving experience, which strongly suggests a manual gearbox and a cabin heavy on real switches and physical controls—much like the original Interceptor, only without the 1960s build tolerances.

Under that long hood will be a familiar but formidable powerplant. While final specs haven’t been released, Autocar reports that the car will be based around the latest Chevrolet Corvette’s 6.2-liter V-8. In stock form, that engine produces 495 horsepower and 452 pound-feet of torque, but JIA says the powertrain will be “bespoke,” which likely means tuning, calibration, and possibly hardware changes tailored specifically to this car’s GT mission.

That transatlantic engine choice is entirely in keeping with tradition. The original Interceptor relied on a big-block Chrysler V-8—6.3 liters initially—making around 250 horsepower and pushing the car to nearly 140 mph, serious numbers for its era. The new car aims to honor that same formula: British luxury and style, American displacement and punch.

The chassis will be a lightweight aluminum structure, a modern foundation designed to keep mass in check and maximize the power-to-weight ratio. No curb weight figures yet, but the intent is clear: this won’t be a soft boulevard cruiser masquerading as a performance car.

Design details are still under wraps, but the first official image confirms that JIA understands what made the Interceptor visually iconic. Expect a long bonnet, a raked roofline, and a low, muscular stance—classic GT proportions interpreted through a modern lens rather than a retro caricature.

Managing director David Duerden says JIA is “taking the theme of the luxury British GT to fresh, thoroughly modern heights,” while emphasizing that the car will stand as an all-new machine rather than a nostalgic remake. That’s the right call. Icons survive by evolving, not by pretending time stopped in 1971.

As for when we’ll see it in the metal, no official debut date has been announced. Still, given JIA’s emphasis on British identity, a reveal at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this July would make perfect sense. Fast cars, loud engines, historic names reborn—it’s exactly the kind of setting where the Interceptor belongs.

Half a century on, the Jensen Interceptor is returning not as a museum piece, but as a modern GT with old-school values: big engine, rear-drive attitude, and a driver-first mindset. And frankly, we could use more cars like that.

Source: Jensen Motors

News

Audi’s 2025 Deliveries Dip, but EV Sales Surge to Record Levels

If you only glance at Audi’s 2025 delivery total—1.62 million vehicles worldwide—you might assume the brand spent the year treading water. That figure is down about 3 percent from 2024, after all, and in an industry obsessed with growth charts and quarterly spikes, any dip looks like a stumble. Look closer, though, and Audi’s year reads less like a retreat and more like a pivot taken at speed, with its electric models doing the heavy lifting.

The most telling detail isn’t the annual total—it’s the trajectory. Audi’s deliveries rose year over year in every month starting in September, a late-year surge that suggests momentum heading into 2026. The order books back that up. Orders climbed more than 13 percent compared with 2024, and demand for electric vehicles jumped by an eye-opening 58 percent. Translation: customers may have hesitated earlier in the year, but by fall they were signing on the dotted line, especially for EVs.

Audi delivered more than 223,000 all-electric vehicles in 2025, a record for the brand and a 36 percent increase over the previous year. That’s not just incremental progress—that’s a clear shift in the mix. Two models, in particular, carried the charge. The A6 e-tron accounted for roughly 37,000 deliveries, while the Q6 e-tron landed closer to 84,000. Together, they’ve become proof points for Audi’s claim that its EV push is finally resonating with buyers beyond early adopters.

Marco Schubert, Audi’s board member for sales and marketing, summed it up with corporate polish but real substance underneath. The product initiative, he says, is “hitting the road,” and the numbers suggest customers agree—especially when it comes to new electric offerings. Audi’s challenge now isn’t convincing people that it can build desirable EVs; it’s sustaining that growth while navigating a global market that’s anything but stable.

Those headwinds were very real in 2025. Geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, fierce competition in China, and shifting U.S. tariff policies all weighed on deliveries. Even strong performances in Europe and various overseas markets weren’t enough to fully offset the pressure. In other words, Audi didn’t shrink because its products lost appeal—it shrank because the playing field tilted.

Europe, excluding Germany, was essentially flat at about 464,000 vehicles delivered, but the composition of those sales changed dramatically. EV deliveries in the region climbed roughly 40 percent to around 113,000 units, mirroring the brand’s global electric upswing. Germany, Audi’s home turf and a notoriously tough crowd, told an even more encouraging story. Total deliveries rose 4 percent to just over 206,000 vehicles, and nearly 41,000 of those were all-electric—a staggering 89 percent increase. For a market that still values Autobahn credibility and engineering pedigree, that’s a meaningful endorsement of Audi’s electric lineup.

Across the Atlantic, the picture was more mixed. North American deliveries slipped 12 percent to about 202,000 vehicles, reflecting broader market pressures and a cautious consumer mood. Still, EVs provided a bright spot. Audi delivered approximately 33,000 electric vehicles in the region, up 15 percent and a new record. Canada, in particular, stood out, with more than 37,000 deliveries overall—an 11 percent increase that set a national high-water mark for the brand.

China remains both Audi’s largest single market and its most demanding battlefield. Deliveries there fell 5 percent to around 618,000 vehicles, but Audi still managed to hold the leading position among its core competitors. That’s no small feat given the intensity of local competition and the rapid pace at which domestic brands are rolling out new EVs. Audi is betting that a fresh wave of China-specific models—including the A6L, A6L e-tron, Q5L, and the upcoming AUDI E7X—will help it regain momentum in 2026.

Elsewhere, Audi quietly posted some of its strongest percentage gains. Overseas and emerging markets grew by about 6 percent to roughly 134,000 vehicles, with EV deliveries up 26 percent. Argentina, Turkey, and Egypt all recorded notable jumps, underscoring how Audi’s brand cachet—and increasingly, its electric offerings—are finding traction well beyond its traditional strongholds.

Not every corner of the business surged. Audi Sport deliveries fell 13 percent to around 36,000 vehicles, largely due to reduced availability during model changeovers. That’s less a referendum on demand than a reminder that even performance icons depend on timing and production cycles.

Step back, and Audi’s 2025 looks like a year of recalibration rather than retreat. Yes, total deliveries dipped slightly. But electric vehicles surged, late-year momentum returned, and key markets—from Germany to Canada to emerging economies—set records. For a brand in the middle of a transition this complex, that’s a credible setup for a stronger follow-through.

If 2025 was about proving Audi’s EV strategy could work at scale, 2026 will be about showing it can win—consistently, globally, and under pressure. Based on how the year ended, Audi appears ready to keep its foot in it.

Source: Audi