Tesla Semi driven, Hyundai tops Ford, Batmobile for sale
PLUS: eBay bans airbags, cheaper Impreza, off-road Lambo?
Releases & Reviews
2027 Tesla Semi First Drive: We Get Seat Time in Tesla’s 500-Mile Electric Big Rig
The production Semi uses the Cybertruck's 4680 battery cells, about 850 kWh in the long-range truck, and charges at up to 1.2 megawatts. Tesla says its Nevada plant will eventually build 1,000 Semis a week. After about 12 minutes at the wheel, MotorTrend calls it shockingly easy to drive.
Brabus Turned the G-Wagen into an Outrageous 800-HP Convertible
The Brabus 800 Cabrio pairs a folding fabric roof with carbon-fiber bodywork and reaches 60 mph in under four seconds. A portal-axle XL version raises ground clearance to 18.9 inches. Only 50 will be built, at about $1M each.
Technology, Market Data & Analysis
Hyundai Overtakes Ford as Hybrid Boom Reshapes US Auto Market
Cox Automotive projects Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis will outsell Ford and Lincoln in the third quarter, about 511,000 vehicles to 504,000. Ford's volume falls about 7% after it cut rental-fleet business and dropped the Escape. Hybrids take over 15% of the quarter's sales, up from 13% a year earlier.
Bill Would Ban Chinese Cars in U.S.
Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) introduced the bill, and a House version has over 100 cosponsors. Tariffs of up to 100% already keep most Chinese cars out. President Trump said on Sept. 8 he would accept Chinese brands building cars in the US.
Car Culture
The Miami Vice California Daytona Spyder: The TV Car Enzo Ferrari Despised
Tom McBurnie built the replica on a Corvette chassis, then turned out 92 complete cars and over 350 kits once the show aired. Ferrari sued in 1986 and won in 1989. The show wrote the Daytona out with a Stinger missile, and Ferrari supplied two real Testarossas.
Ferdinand Piëch’s One-Off W-10 M5 Might Be the Wildest E39 Ever
VW's skunkworks built a 5.0-liter W-10 making about 470 horsepower, and Piëch had it fitted to an M5 with a six-speed manual. The engine fed development of the W-12 and Bugatti's W-16. Broad Arrow auctions the car with a spare engine on Oct. 9, estimated at up to $400K.
Miscellaneous
The Batmobile That Michael Keaton Hustled in Batman Returns Could Fetch $7M
Julien's Auctions offers the car on Nov. 23, and even the low estimate of $5M would beat the $4.2M record for a screen-used Batmobile. The hand-built fiberglass body sits on two joined Impala chassis with a Chevrolet V8 and a three-speed automatic.
Volkswagen ID.Buzz’s Return Has Been Pushed to the 2028 Model Year
The electric van skipped the 2026 model year in the US and was due back in August. It now goes on sale in the first half of 2027 with new software, vehicle-to-load power, and a digital key. VW sold about 6,100 in 2025, its first full year.
Quick Links
2027 Subaru Impreza Base Model Has More HP but a Much Lower Price
The base car now starts at $25,840 and gets the RS trim's 180-hp flat-four, making it the cheapest all-wheel-drive compact of the 2027 model year.
2027 Mercedes S580 4Matic First Test: The Best S-Class Yet?
MotorTrend's test car, powered by a new 530-hp flat-plane-crank V8 with mild-hybrid assist, reached 60 mph in 4.1 seconds.
Audi RS5 V8 v V6 v Hybrid: DRAG RACE
In Carwow's race, the new 639-hp hybrid RS5 covers the quarter mile in 11.8 seconds, ahead of the previous twin-turbo V6 at 12.2 and the original naturally aspirated V8.
eBay Says ‘No More Buying or Selling Airbags on eBay’
The ban took effect Sept. 24 and covers inflators too, after NHTSA linked substandard Chinese inflators to 10 deaths, including at least one from a part bought on eBay.
This Lowered Chevy Silverado 1500 Is a 675-HP V-8 Street Truck
Fox Factory's Black Widow SR keeps the Silverado's 13,300-pound tow rating and starts at about $85,000, with the supercharged version over $100K.
Lamborghini Keeps Hinting At A Temerario Sterrato
Product line director Paolo Racchetti told CarExpert he is "not excluding" an off-road version of the 920-hp Temerario, which replaced the Huracán that spawned the first Sterrato.
What It Was Like Driving The Hyper-Rare Lee Iacocca Edition Ford Mustang
Only 45 of the Mustang GT-based coupes were built, some with 400 supercharged hp, and David Tracy calls the five-speed manual "an absolute jewel."