Welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short, The Drive’s morning news roundup serving up the biggest automotive headlines from across the globe.

The Downshift gets you up to speed with quick recaps of stories, fit with links for those who want to dive deeper into the news. Here’s your bulletin for Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

Hyundai has announced its May sales figures, and while overall sales have increased by 3% against May 2025, the biggest story is that the company sold 39% more Sonatas compared to that same period one year ago—8,456 examples, versus 6,082. It echoes similar gains for the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, as sedans are showing signs of life again in the U.S. [Hyundai]

Toyota has given the GR86 a slight update with improved throttle calibration, shifter feel, and new interior trim options. [Toyota]

United Auto Workers at GM’s axle plant in Three Rivers, Michigan, ​owned by Dauch Corp, walked off the job on Monday. According to individuals said to be familiar with the matter, the company has about two weeks of axle inventory currently on hand. [Reuters]

Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna backed up the decision to offer the Luce in an interview, saying, “There are clients that are telling us, ‘I will become your client if and only if you have an electric traction car. Otherwise, I will not take an [internal-combustion vehicle] because I have to be consistent with the messaging that I’m giving to my son and my daughter.’” The chief executive also restated a commitment to support a diversity of powertrains, and that Ferrari will never offer a Level 3+ autonomous car. [Drive]

The Mazda MX-5 Miata has received a new color called “Zinc Green,” which barely qualifies as green and is so flat and gray that it’d be more at home on a Bronco. [Mazda]

Mini is reportedly reintroducing dual exhaust tips and adding more quirky colors to its repertoire in an effort to “get back to how it was launched in the U.S,.” in the words of one dealer that attended a BMW retailer meeting last month. [BMW Blog]

BYD’s sales finally rose for the first time in nine months in May, up precisely 0.3% from the same period one year earlier. [Bloomberg]

Foxtron—the EV-making arm of Foxconn, the electronics manufacturing giant best known for making iPhones—has announced a Tesla Model Y rival powered by an LFP battery pack that looks a little more minivan than SUV. It’ll go on sale first in Taiwan. [InsideEVs]

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The 2026 Lexus ES arrives on a new platform for its eighth generation with an unchanged mission: unmatched comfort in a luxury sedan. What has changed—significantly—is everything else. A pivot to only hybrid and electric drivetrains headlines Lexus’s focus on efficiency, while the new ES’s styling plays it safe at the cost of striking looks.

To showcase its newest creation, Lexus hosted its media drive in La Jolla, California, an affluent San Diego neighborhood where Lexuses, Benzes, Porsches, and the like rule the roads. A luxury sedan makes complete sense in a place like this, and the 2026 Lexus ES might just be the quintessential car you’d find on the driveway of these cliffside homes. During my time behind the wheel of the 2026 Lexus ES350h, ES350e, and ES500e, I got to roam the streets in comfort like a true La Jollan.

The Basics

The eighth-generation ES drops the full gas powertrain. For the first time in the nameplate’s history, Lexus built a multi-pathway platform capable of supporting a gas-electric hybrid and two battery-electric powertrains under a single shared body. The result is three distinct variants: the ES 350h hybrid in FWD or AWD, the ES 350e battery-electric FWD, and the ES 500e battery-electric AWD. All three share the same exterior shell, interior architecture, 14-inch Lexus Interface touchscreen, and standard Lexus Safety System+ 4.0. What separates them is what’s under the floor and how that changes the experience behind the wheel.

Off the bat, the 2026 ES is a large sedan. By the numbers, it’s longer, wider, and taller than its predecessor, and if it were any bigger, you’d almost consider it a crossover. Design-wise, a commenter on our original reveal story said it best: “It looks like a mashup between a BMW and a Hyundai.” That said, it doesn’t quite stop traffic. Body lines on this generation are sharp like the creases on a paper airplane, but this is a trend all automakers seem to be following. A contrasting trim element along the lower bodyside of the door feels like an afterthought rather than a design statement, and the base 19-inch wheels with their plastic aero covers do no favors, giving it that premium feel. Step up to the available 21-inch alloys and the whole car clicks into place. They’re a meaningful upgrade and worth every penny.

Inside, the ES makes a stronger case for itself. The cabin is mature and uncluttered. Simpler personalities would say it’s serene, but I can imagine bolder souls calling it sterile. What you can’t argue with is its clean by design. A 14-inch touchscreen sits above a soft-touch panel of physical controls for climate, volume, and defrost. The overall dash and center console UX is intuitive, but I wouldn’t mind a few more buttons to keep things tactile. There’s definitely space for it.

What’s less distinctive is the synthetic leather on the steering wheel, which has a soft, foamy feel that doesn’t meet premium expectations. It’s a minor but noticeable mismatch. Similarly, the digital door latch system—push to open, pull for emergency release—proved finicky in practice. On more than one occasion, the door didn’t open cleanly on either input, which is an annoying quality note on a car at this price point. The driver-facing eye-monitoring system, which beeps when it detects your gaze leaving the road, was so sensitive that it became an immediate candidate for the off switch.

What really matters is how it drives. All three variants were driven back-to-back on the same coastal roads, which made the comparisons legible. The short version: every one of these cars is exceptionally pleasant and peaceful to drive. The ES has always been about refinement over performance, and this new generation delivers on that mission as well as any previous generation.

We’ve all heard the cliché of a luxury car that “drives on clouds.” The ES 350h drives as if that phrase were the north star of its engineering brief. Leading with its sixth-generation hybrid system—a new setup for Lexus producing 244 horsepower from a 2.5-liter four-cylinder paired with a front motor generator—it returns a generous EPA-estimated 46 MPG combined in FWD trim. On La Jolla’s mix of smooth coastal avenues and rougher neighborhood backstreets, the 350h was composed and effortless. Acceleration is adequate for everyday driving, but flooring it reveals the CVT’s whiny characteristics. Thankfully, that’s a rare occurrence, and the powertrain is so smooth in normal driving that the CVT is practically invisible. Light steering inputs, a calm ride, and near-total isolation from road noise make the 350h feel less like a car you’re driving and more like a room that happens to be moving.

The ES350e, Lexus’s first battery-electric ES, adds a layer of tranquility to that same character. The single front electric motor is quicker and more torquey than the hybrid off the line, and silent with no moving pistons. The 350e is so quiet you could drive through the world of A Quiet Place without attracting the creatures. With an EPA-estimated range of 307 miles on standard 19-inch wheels, it’s also the most practical choice in the lineup for most buyers.

The ES 500e ups the ante with a second rear motor for a combined 338 horsepower and DIRECT4 all-wheel drive, reaching 60 mph in 5.1 seconds. That’s quick for a luxury sedan of this size,  but it doesn’t feel neck-snapping like other performance EV sedans on the market. Whether the AWD capability justifies the trade-off in range—276 miles versus the 350e’s 307—depends on where you live and drive. In Southern California, the answer is probably no.

The Executive Package deserves its own paragraph. Available exclusively on the ES 350e Luxury trim for $3,635, it transforms the rear passenger-side seat into something that belongs in a first-class cabin: a power-reclining seat with an ottoman, heated and ventilated cushions, a massage function, a pillow-style headrest, and controls for all of it built into the center armrest alongside rear window shade operation. When you recline into the Executive position, the front passenger seat automatically slides forward and its headrest drops, opening up the sightlines and giving the rear occupant a panoramic view of whatever’s outside. Parked at a viewpoint above La Jolla Shores with the ottoman extended, rear shade down, and the Pacific stretching out through the glass, it was genuinely difficult to find a reason to get out of the car. If you’re buying the ES 350e Luxury, don’t skip this package.

Pricing for the 2026 ES starts at $48,895 for the ES 350e Premium, $51,895 for the ES 500e Premium AWD, and $51,095 for the ES 350h Premium. The ES 350e Luxury—the trim level where the Executive Package is available—starts at $57,295 before options. The ES 500e Luxury AWD tops the lineup at $60,295. All prices include Lexus’s $1,395 destination fee.

For buyers choosing between the three variants, the decision is simpler than it looks. If you’re committed to gas-electric efficiency and want the hybrid’s 46 MPG, the 350h is it. If you’re open to electric and want the most range and the most serene experience, the 350e is the pick of the lineup. The 500e’s performance is real but feels slightly at odds with the ES’s DNA—the extra power is there when you want it, but in everyday driving, you’ll rarely need it.

The 2026 Lexus ES won’t convert driving enthusiasts, and it’s not trying to. It’s trying to be the best possible version of a refined, comfortable, luxury sedan—and on the coastal streets of La Jolla, with the Pacific in the mirrors and a cabin that insulates you from everything the world is throwing at the car, it’s very hard to argue it hasn’t succeeded.

Quick Take

An honest to goodness luxury sedan.

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Porsche has reclaimed the record for the fastest lap time for a four-door production car at the iconic Nürburgring race track in Germany, less than a year after losing the mantle to China’s Xiaomi, one of the world’s leading smartphone companies.

The Xiaomi’s SU7 Ultra model, a tri-motor high-performance electric sedan, took the title last June, but Porsche has returned to the track with another special edition of the electric Taycan, shaving 10 seconds off Xiaomi’s time, and completing the lap in under 6 minutes 56 seconds on the almost 21 km track.

Kevin Giek, the head of the Taycan model line said the new Manthey Kit offers a “unique upgrade” for the Taycan Turbo GT. “The small but impactful project team from Manthey and Porsche has succeeded in transferring the Manthey DNA into a kit for electric vehicles. This effort has culminated in an impressive new Nordschleife record,” he said.

This lap record post got mixed comments with some congratulating the sports car brand and said: “Congrats Porsche! ” Others compared it to the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra and said: “That’s actually pathetic considering this [Xiaomi SU7 Ultra] is only 9 seconds behind while costing ⅓ the price”.

The latest lap run with the Manthey Kit adds further performance to the 4-door sedan and has performed even better than the Weissach package it had used previously, which helped the car do the same lap in 7 minutes and 7 seconds.

The kit includes quite a few components, covering aerodynamic parts like the massive rear carbon-fibre wing, front diffuser, rear carbon aero discs to help reduce drag. These parts alone will help triple the downforce over the standard model.

Other components included cassis and suspension tuning as well as lighter 21-inch forged wheels, paired with street-legal wider tyres.

According to Porsche, the car that got that lap time was fitted with special track tyres, Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS, which likely provided better grip around corners. 

On the braking front, the kit includes a larger braking system, performance brake pads for a significant bump in deceleration rate.

Powering was also increased with maximum discharge current from the battery being increased, helping with a 10-second Attack Mode, where 730 kW of power is available. 

The latest lap time from Porsche in the Taycan Turbo GT with Manthey Kit appears to be in a highly modified car, which does not meet the “production” car description in our eyes. 

We look forward to seeing what Xiaomi counters this with; after all, it’s the SU7 Ultra Prototype that lapped the same circuit in under 6 minutes and 23 seconds, over 30 seconds faster than the latest Porsche.

Porsche Taycan Turbo GT lap

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Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.

The 2026 Genesis G90 is often described as a lower-cost alternative to the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but undercutting the establishment is not the most interesting thing about this car. The G90’s real value proposition is its own dichotomy—the interface has the high-contrast sans-serif modernity of an iPhone app, but the driving experience is old-school luxury car. We’re not just talking about smooth and quiet, here. The G90 is plush, plush, plush.

It’s nice to drive, but nobody should be calling this a “driver’s car.” It’s a limo that the driver, too, can enjoy riding in. Consider this: Extremely gentle driving dynamics—that “floating” ultra-smoothness people associate with Boomer-era Cadillacs—and a UI that firmly prioritizes legibility over whimsy, plus a raft of bone-coddling features like push-button-close doors and massagers in every seat.

The Basics

This is a bona fide six-figure flagship, and it looks the part. The design, which hasn’t changed much since its debut a few years ago, has proven pretty timeless, largely thanks to its restraint. It has the strength of presence you want in a big luxury car, without being shouty. A simple word for that: Classy.

The standard-wheelbase G90 measures 207.7 inches, making it quite close in size to the 2026 S-Class (209.5 inches) but noticeably shorter than the 7 Series (212.2 inches). Genesis makes great use of all that space with spectacularly comfortable rear seats that very much hit the transatlantic first-class ambiance you expect in a car like this.

All G90s sport a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission. When you move up from the base model, the powertrain also features a 48V E-Supercharger, bumping horsepower from 375 to 409 while fuel economy drops slightly (21 to 20 mpg in combined driving).

What’s An E-Supercharger?

Genesis has published a fairly detailed explanation of its unique E-Supercharger system. The most important nugget regarding why you’d want this technology is here:

“Typically, a turbocharger uses exhaust gas to spin the turbine following combustion in the engine, which then drives a compressor wheel to compress air into the engine, increasing output. Enhancing the turbocharger’s capacity can increase airflow and ultimately boost maximum output, but this normally leads to longer compression times. Therefore, when the engine is under load or operating at low speeds, it can cause a delay in acceleration or slower throttle response.

“The 48-volt e-supercharger, however, addresses these drawbacks by activating at speeds below 1,750 revolutions per minute. It compresses air behind the compressor wheel and delivers it to the engine, increasing low-end output and reducing turbo lag. When the engine reaches higher revolutions per minute, where the turbochargers alone are adequate for boosting, the air bypasses the e-supercharger and is directly supplied to the engine intake manifold.”

In other words, though the system adds to peak horsepower, its most appreciable benefit is a huge sensation of low-speed thrust that makes it feel very powerful.

Models equipped with the E-Supercharger also get more luxurious features, such as multi-chamber air suspension, rear-wheel steering, larger brakes, and more. The top-of-the-range model we tested, the G90 3.5T E-SC MHEV Prestige Black AWD (yes, that’s the full proper name), adds unique all-black trim, wheels, and light bezels for a brooding, almost ominous appearance.

Driving the 2026 Genesis G90

Settling into the G90’s seats feels like landing on your favorite couch after a full shift at the factory. Pleasure, relief, and a sense of safety wash over you as you push a button and the door swings closed without effort. That takes some getting used to—I kept forgetting that the doors are powered and found myself fighting the mechanism.

The controls are clear and easy to find, and even the steering wheel seems optimized for minimal user resistance—with just two big spokes, you can pretty much hold it however you want.

When you hit the gas and get going, it almost feels like the car’s sitting still while the world moves around it. There’s not really much sensation of speed, but it’s definitely not slow. In a sense, this 5,000-pound vehicle actually feels light. It almost feels like it’s hovering. There is a sport mode; if you boot the gas pedal and steer the wheel like you’re in an ’80s action movie, there’s a whole lot of body roll—it’s much more boat-like than its stiffer German rivals. The car doesn’t reward aggressive driving.

But it does provide effortless acceleration when you want it, and an almost unbelievably smooth ride, even over NYC’s battle-scarred roads. One of the vehicle’s front-facing cameras communicates with the air suspension to mitigate the impact of potholes and speed bumps as much as possible. Genesis calls this party trick “Preview Electronic Control Suspension,” and as far as my butt could tell, it works remarkably well. The G90 also has a surprisingly tight turning radius—made possible by rear-wheel steering that’s active at low speeds.

All this to say: The driving experience is remarkably effortless.

The Highs and Lows

I’ve established pretty clearly that comfort is the big high point here. But design and parking-lot presence are also very strong. The G90’s reserved look is already aging well; this car will undoubtedly still be pretty in a decade. The plushness won’t appeal to everyone—if you’re looking for steering feel and driver engagement, this isn’t your car—but I think Genesis was wise to lean into relaxation with this. There are plenty of high-power, high-stiffness luxury vehicles out there.

Some of the things that bugged me were just a matter of learning the settings. I never did come to enjoy the “push-button close” doors, for example. I found the interior lighting almost universally annoying. Interior ambient light strips reflect on the windshield at night. The rear climate control screen is needlessly bright and way too hard to quickly deactivate. At least the main infotainment screen is mostly elegantly tucked into the dash.

Fuel economy leaves a lot to be desired, especially when compared to rivals. That’s an earnest complaint we’ll revisit in a few paragraphs. A more pedantic observation I couldn’t help making is that the design of the buttons and some interior material choices felt a little more “kid’s toy” than “timeless luxury product.” While the surfaces that matter most (seats, steering wheel) are well-attended to, the wood dash trim and buttons just don’t look or feel as robust as those in my nine-year-old BMW 3 Series. Not a dealbreaker, but I won’t let it go unmentioned.

Rear-Seat Comfort

The G90 is almost better to appreciate from the back-right seat. And it’s very clear that the car was designed mostly for limo duty. There are easy controls to squish the front passenger seat towards the windshield, creating a soft-leather paradise for whoever’s being shuttled.

The rear seats don’t quite lie flat, but they get as close as you’d reasonably want to, and they are just so, damn, comfy. The rear center console, which tucks away if you have to suffer the indignity of having three people on the rear bench, is full of cupholders, chargers, and comfort controls. If you make your driver activate Chauffeur mode, the vehicle’s muted response exaggerates the floating sensation to the point where you pretty much feel like you’re in a high-luxe spaceship.

Fuel Economy

The range-topping Genesis G90 is most directly comparable to the base BMW 7 and Merc S. Compared to those, it uses much more gasoline. Based on these numbers below, it seems pretty clear that Genesis’ E-Supercharger system is more about adding low-speed oomph than improving efficiency. I don’t know if this is a deal-breaker, but if you’re picking a Korean car over Germans purely because you think running costs will be lower, it seems that is not actually the case.

Value and Verdict

The top-spec Prestige Black G90 we test-drove and photographed here lists at $107,895. That’s a lot of money, but it is a rock-solid value compared to other cars on the market. If you’re looking for a modern execution of old-school luxury car priorities, this is it. It’s ultra-comfortable, easy to drive, and delightful to ride in.

Genesis provided The Drive with a seven-day loan of this vehicle for the purpose of writing this review.

2026 Genesis G90 3.5T E-SC MHEV Prestige Black AWD Specs

Quick Take

A couch on wheels that hauls ass, and coddles it, too.

BYD, the world’s fastest-growing car company, is continuing to bring new models to market in multiple new segments, with the latest being an affordable model for the ridesharing industry under its recently introduced Linghui brand.

The new e7 sedan comes with multiple new editions, including the company’s 5-minute Flash Charging tech, a new Blade Battery, and all for under $A22,600.

The e7 lineup will actually start at under $A20,000 but has its Flash Charging-enabled models starting for a bit more, saving ridesharing drivers a significant amount of time when stopping to charge.

As mentioned, it would be one of the most affordable models from the company with capabilities of charging from 10-70% in just 5 minutes using the company’s latest Flash Charging technology, unveiled last month.

The new charging tech is made possible by Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery packs, which retain the safety credentials of BYD’s Blade Battery tech while now supporting charging speeds of up to 1,500 kW at the company’s Flash Charging sites.

Speaking of the deployment, BYD is currently deploying these sites at a rapid pace. Latest data shared by the company shows over 5,000 active charging stations in hundreds of cities across China, with a target to reach 20,000 commissioned charging bays by the end of the year.

According to reports from local media, the new e7 has an introductory incentive of 1-year free Flash Charging, helping fleet and ridesharing companies try out the tech in the first 12 months.

Getting back to the specs of the model, it comes in at a length of 4,780 mm, which is slightly smaller than the Seal sedan sold in Australia. 

The new car features the same large 15.6-inch infotainment screen behind the steering wheel as many BYD owners have today. 

A 50 W wireless phone charger is also seen in the centre console, and, like many of BYD’s latest cars, the inside now features the gear shifter relocated to the steering wheel.

Powering the new sedan are two rear-mounted motor options delivering 100 kW and 130 kW, respectively.

The single-motor powertrain is powered by BYD’s second-generation blade batteries, which come in capacities of 51.3 kWh and larger 61.4 kWh packs that feed the motor.

Range-wise, the e7 EV will have an NEDC range of 450-550 km, likely over 380-480 km on the WLTP test cycle.

Having experienced the previous generation of the BYD e7 as a Didi on a recent trip to China, it really is a Toyota Corolla rival, but with a much more refined ride, space, and, of course, an EV drivetrain.

We look forward to seeing the Linghui e7 model in person in China in the coming months, as it’s one of the several vehicles from BYD that would change the rideshare industry in China and has implications across the globe to help reduce transport emissions while offering drivers the convenience of Flash Charging.

Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.

Fans of small cars have it rough these days. Whether you prefer to sit down low or just appreciate the classic proportions of a subcompact sedan or hatchback, well, pull up a chair. I’ve been crying into my beers for a few years now; you might as well join me. For my part, I just got done driving the 2026 Nissan Sentra. It’s a sedan.

The good news: Nissan has a new Sentra. It’s sticking around, unlike the poor Versa, which was unceremoniously booted from the U.S. market at the end of 2025. Meanwhile, Nissan gave the Sentra a top-to-bottom overhaul for 2026. The exterior and interior offer completely new designs, though the eagle-eyed reader has probably already noticed that the Sentra’s silhouette remains strikingly similar. That’s no coincidence. In Nissan’s own words, the new Sentra hasn’t grown an inch.

Mechanically, there’s very little to report. The new Sentra’s entire powertrain is effectively a carryover. The 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine makes the same 149 horsepower as last year’s, but the 2026 model gets a torque bump: 1 lb-ft, up from 145 to 146 lb-ft. Good stuff. [Ed. note: wow.]

As you can see from the above side-by-side, the broad strokes are indeed pretty much identical, but the 2026 redesign was nonetheless comprehensive. There doesn’t appear to be a single piece of carry-over sheet metal (or plastic, for that matter) between them. The roof, maybe?

The 2026 model’s assertive jawline and vertical front lighting cues seem at odds with a body that looks like a mix of the last-gen Mazda6 sedan and Nissan’s third- and fourth-gen Altimas. Both are meant as favorable comparisons; not everybody may agree.

Inside, you get that same general vibe that you’ve been here before, but looking at them side-by-side, only the dimensions and the position of the infotainment screen really drive that home. Everything in the cabin, from the new digital cluster to the redesigned center console, is unique between them.

The interior shown above is a well-appointed SL model showing off the Sentra’s available dual 12.3-inch screen setup. That’s the standard screen, no matter which trim you buy, but the value-oriented S model replaces the matching driver information display with a 7.0-inch “multi-information display.” The new interior design is pretty sharp; I’m not sure I’m sold on the Ariya-like wheel, but the rest works fine. My biggest complaint is probably that the old interior held up reasonably well, and Nissan could have skimped here with little ill effect. I would have liked to see that money spent giving the Sentra more of an on-pavement personality, but I understand the Sentra’s demographic likely couldn’t care less about that.

But while Nissan hasn’t shown much bravery in the Sentra’s redesign, the very fact that it’s returning as a sedan still counts for something. After all, look at the current state of America’s traditional four-door family car. Sure, some automakers are threatening to revive the format, but talk is cheap.

Predictably, the new Sentra drives pretty much like the old one did—exactly like the old one did, one might even say. There are virtually no differences between them. The front/rear strut/multi-link suspension from 2025 carried over too. Nissan said it made some tweaks to the suspension tuning, so the part numbers probably don’t all match, but the fundamental architecture remains unchanged.

The Sentra is many things—roomy (for a sedan), reasonably comfortable, and acceptably fuel-efficient for not employing anything particularly interesting under the hood. But one thing it’s not is exciting. This is a perfectly OK cocoon in which to zone out and ignore a daily commute, but it’s not the sort of car that encourages you to take the long way home. This was true before; it’s just as true now.

The good news, however, is that the new infotainment is a genuine upgrade. The tile interface works nicely, and most of the critical features have physical controls; the volume knob sits in the fake vent on the center stack, with the HVAC controls taking up the horizontal space just below. Everything is within easy reach, and the look-down moments are few and far between.

The 2026 Sentra also excels at the one thing that has mattered most to Nissan: the bottom line. With the even-cheaper Versa getting the axe for 2026, the Sentra is now Nissan’s ambassador for four-door affordability. Say that quickly if you dare. At $23,875 (including destination), the base Sentra undercuts the equivalent Hyundai Elantra by a whisker-thin margin; the Kia K4 is slightly cheaper. They’re all a tier less expensive than the Civic, Jetta, or Mazda3, and the latter three are nicer for their respective premiums. The Jetta is practically a limousine in this nominally compact segment. Even the K4’s available hatchback commands enough of an upcharge to put it with the nicer offerings in this group.

If value is your goal, Nissan should fit the bill. Like the Hyundai and Kia, it remains reasonable even once you spring for the popular equipment at the SV and SR trims. That’s where the 12.3-inch driver screen becomes standard. Both also get you remote start, and the sporty-looking SR comes with unique 18-inch wheels. At that point, you’re still only in for $26,245. Our SL tester represents the top of the range, and even that is still just $29,235.

There are buyers who want something frugal and unobtrusive with a warranty. If they also happen to want a sedan, the Sentra fits the bill. It’s competent enough to get the job done, and the new interior is a perfectly decent place to be. Kudos on the new tech.

Nissan provided The Drive with a seven-day loan of this vehicle for the purpose of writing this review.

2026 Nissan Sentra Specs

Quick Take

Fun ain’t on the menu, but the Sentra is frugal enough for a second look.

The exterior of the broad 16.5-foot sedan is covered in a camouflaging flurry of opposing black and white diagonal slashes that resemble one of Jasper Johns’ radical “crosshatch” paintings from the mid-1970s. The cossetting interior, its narrow rampart-like band of windows mainly covered by this wallpaper, is dark and unfinished, and blanketed in a matted black felt that, notably, reminds me of a magician’s backdrop, meant to absorb light and disguise sleights of hand. 

But despite the lack of badging and iconography, the font on the narrow, rectangular LCD screen behind the thick-rimmed steering wheel is a giveaway. The delicately curvaceous—and internet-derided—sans-serif type, with its ransom note mix of lower- and upper-case letters, is immediately recognizable as belonging to the rebranded Jaguar. 

The Type 00 concept showcased the design direction for the forthcoming production vehicle. But based on the camouflaged silhouette, we expect some changes to the final car. 

Photo by: Jaguar

I’m at the leaping-cat brand’s headquarters—built beside its development testing track, on the site of a former British Air Force nuclear bomber training runway—in England’s Midlands. I’ll be among the first Americans to drive, on dry ground, a prototype of the venerable British automaker’s forthcoming six-figure, 1,000+ horsepower, super-sedan, code-named the X900. The entire future of the venerable brand is riding on its massive 23” wheels.

It is evident, from the moment that I tip into the throttle, that the teams of engineers and designers here have been aware of and attentive to this heavy burden.

The big car moves off the line and gathers speed with an intentional, but not abrupt, alacrity. It is plenty quick, and will likely put anything in the brand’s history to shame in a 0-60 race. But it is not trying to snap my neck, like a Tesla or a Lucid; that is not how it will prove itself. Rather, it gets underway with grace and composure, always holding, but not withholding, an alluring sense of more. It does not feel wickedly domineering like an S-Class, or brutally concretized like a 7-Series. It is a boss bitch, strutting in heels, confident that it owns the runway.

Jaguar initially made its name creating sportily bewitching coupes and convertibles, from the earliest SS cars in the 1930s through the XKs, and E-types of the 50s and 60s. But its brand equities are, in my opinion, best defined by its luxurious sedans, which, at their peak—in the first (1968-87) and fourth (2010-19) generations of the XJ nameplate—offered intense refinement, delightfully torquey thrust, and a perfect balance of engagement and isolation. 

“The four-door GT is the purest vision of Jaguar,” Rawdon Glover, the brand’s managing director, tells me, concurring. “This new car needs to take Jaguar to its previous hunting grounds, its natural habitat.”  

Photo by: Jaguar

If this means holding a sweepingly endless left-hand corner at 90 mph or bombing down the track’s mile-long back straight at 145 mph in whooshing rapture, then Glover’s team has already achieved high marks in the repatriation department. Power comes on progressively, with a constant sense of tappable reserves, even at triple-digit speeds, and builds with an intriguingly analog linearity, more like an aviation-grade torque-rich V12 than a trio of electric motors (two rear, one front.) The brake pedal is firm but never hard, and the big, vented discs scrub speed predictably without any of the android intervention inherent in many regenerative systems. (Additional regen is apparently available for those who want it, though we didn’t get to sample the various settings.) The feel from the thick steering wheel is tactile, but never jumpy; its feedback filtered through a thin layer of goose down.  

But it is the ride that I find most surprising. We repeatedly traverse a course on the back stretch of the proving grounds, meant to mimic the world’s worst sections of broken pavement, and the big cat resolutely absorbs the impacts. Whether they’re cosplaying at concrete that has been washboarded like a gravel path in Joshua Tree two weeks after a freak summer storm, or puzzled to resemble Manhattan’s West Side Highway after a winter of icy expansion, the Jaguar remains unbothered. The adaptive air springs provide the huge donuts with a suspicious amount of travel, granting a sense of connection undergirded by isolation. It doesn’t make the landscape disappear. It’s more like I could feel what each wheel was doing, even when the four-wheel-steering system was working, but I kind of didn’t care. The car is present, but unperturbed. 

Photo by: Jaguar

The sensation is less wafty than a Rolls and not as thunderously damping as a Bentley. It weirdly reminds me of some of my favorite recent Aston Martins, remarkably planted, but pliant, like the DBS (or even, gasp, the DBX). Perhaps this shouldn’t be surprising, since the vehicle dynamics engineer for all of these is the fabled Matt Becker, who was mentored by his father, Lotus project engineer Roger Becker. He designed the body motions of the new car to scientifically mimic the vibrational amplitude and pitch of top-tier Jags of the past, like the dominating XJ-C V12 coupe of the mid 1970. The final result, he warns, is still being dialed in.

The car is remarkably, and intentionally, low, the product of an extremely long wheelbase and some impact-engineering wizardry that allows the thin and flat structural battery pack in the floor to extend beyond the firewall instead of piling up under the passenger compartment. The driver is positioned right at the center of gravity, amidst a perfect 50/50 front-rear weight balance.

As a result, I sit deep in the car, not upon it as in other electric sedans. That sinking feeling is enhanced by the very tall beltline—which seemingly rises above my shoulder—and narrow greenhouse, like the roof had been stepped on by a diplodocus as it craned its neck up for some prehistoric foliage. In hot-rodding terms, it’s chopped. This sensation places me in mind of that time I borrowed a 1990 XJ-S V12 coupe to cruise around LA. It’s another car one sits deep within, legs stretched out into a long footwell, like the vehicle is a cocoon.

Forward visibility is relatively assured. But because there are no other cars, or pedestrians, or scooters, or e-assist delivery vehicles careening around me as there would ordinarily be in New York City, I’m not able to get a sense of what this near-clerestory glass would feel like in traffic. My sense is, a little crypt-like and disconcerting. Adding to this sensation is the fact that, following an unfortunate trend introduced on vehicles from the Aston Martin Valkyrie to the Polestar 4, the new Jag lacks a rear windshield.  

There’s no glass on the fast-back rear end. Like the Polestar 4, the Jaguar relies solely on cameras for rear-view monitoring.

Photo by: Jaguar

This deletion is predicated, in no small part, on the X900’s very acute fastback rear; a typical windshield-mounted rearview mirror would show little besides the plunging headliner. Instead, supplanting this long-lived convention, Jag has affixed rear-facing cameras and a small rectangular display centered at the base of the dash.

I can cast aspersions on this fad, because that’s what I do, and because I know that current camera-based rear-view mirrors make me feel like I’ve just rode a Tilt-A-Whirl after washing down clam chowder with a tumbler of white Russians. Sadly, or more likely happily, the Jag’s system isn’t working, so I have yet to experience it in person.

Neither, despite repeated requests, will my handlers allow me to get into the X900’s twin rear bucket seats, so I can’t tell you what kind of contortions ingress or egress requires under that dipped roofline, or what it’s like to sit back there. This is unfortunate, as it seems possible that this generation of big Jag sedan could, like some of its predecessors, lend itself to chauffeuring VIPs, and VIPs don’t enjoy thumping their noggins on the door-top surround. Perhaps that’s why VIPs these days ride in Escalades.  

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Source: InsideEVs

I also didn’t get to experience much of the infotainment system or user interface. But I can tell you that one smallish screen stretches from the driver-side window to about two-fifths of the way across the dash. The portion to the left of the wheel seems to control driver functions like adjusting the steering wheel and mirrors, the drive and regen modes, and the lights. The small portion to the right of the wheel seems like it might house entertainment and navigation features. The center of the dash between the seats was covered, so I couldn’t tell if there was another screen under the felt. But there’s definitely a small phablet-sized screen that protrudes from the top of the tunnel, like an Uber driver’s Galaxy, that handles HVAC controls.

Brand head Glover tells me that Jag doesn’t want to overwhelm passengers with the dazzle of screens on every surface. This seems commendable. Yet the interior also stunningly lacks hard switches. Again, some areas were covered in the stygian fabric, but the only actual buttons I could discern were on the steering wheel. When I bring up this lack to head JaguarLandRover designer Andy Wheel, he demurs, recognizing the movement back to analog functionality required by forthcoming European and Chinese safety regulations. 

Jaguar Brand Boss Rawdon Glover explains the company’s approach to buttons and user interfaces.

Photo by: Jaguar

“We know there’s obviously legislation coming in certain markets where we know we’re going to have to bring some of that in, and that’s obviously something to fret over for another day,” he says. “But we’ve just wanted to keep it super clean, super intuitive.” Something else to check in on next time, I guess.

Still, these potential liabilities give me a bit of pause. The X900 drives very much like a 21st-century electric Jaguar sedan, with the brand’s signature combination of acceleration, ride, and handling. Under all that op-art shelf paper, it seems like it will have an alluring Jaguar-like shape: specific, unique, elegant, and hopefully not too slavishly mimicking the blank unresolved quality of the front and rear treatment shown on its recent Type 00 concept.  

What I personally worry about for the brand is the fact that, as good as the car might be, Jaguar has created a vehicle for a future that, in many ways, may no longer arrive. The marque is no longer chasing volume, no longer competing with the full-range lineups of German luxury giants, instead hoping to move a much smaller number of EVs at an alleged “white space” price point that starts around where the S-Class leaves off, in the lofty $130,000+ realm. It is betting the future on a low-volume flagship electric sedan. But Jag tried and scrapped a long-planned range-topping EV once before, back in 2021, given its inability to conform to the needs of the coming market. In two days with the Jag team, talking solely about the electric flagship and the brand’s heritage, no one mentioned that car once. It was like a curse that could not be spoken aloud for fear of invocation, and the silence was a bit deafening.   

Jaguar is highlighting its grand tradition of grand touring cars. But has the world moved on from big sedans and coupes?

Photo by: Jaguar

Jaguar has always been best when it has been an innovator, leading instead of following. But I can’t help but wonder if the market for six-figure battery-powered sedans is broad enough here, or anywhere, to make this gamble pay off. Lucid, at times the best-selling luxury electric sedan in America, sold only around 4,000 of its high-end Airs here last year. Porsche’s beloved and dynamic Taycan sells in roughly equal numbers, and BMW sold only around 3,000 i7s and Mercedes half that many EQS sedans. And 2025 will likely go down a watershed year for the category in America.

The Germans have very large and profitable lineups of other high-volume vehicles to support these ventures, something Jaguar currently lacks. With expensive, unproven technology, a relaunch that seems intended to shrug off the past (and 90% of its previous customer base) and its long-term reputation for glitchy unreliability, can Jaguar really sustain itself on Ferrari volumes? Glover won’t give me a sales number at which the brand turns a profit, though he assures me there is an attainable one. I hope it’s not like the Panglossian 100,000 annual sales Lotus was predicting to me a few years back. (In the first half of 2025, Lotus sold fewer than 3,000 cars globally.)

The capricious madness of our country’s current leadership—intently quashing our transition to EVs, and then starting senseless wars that disrupt the global flow of oil—makes any hope for market predictability impossible. That predictability is something automakers tend to rely on when investing billions of dollars in products with long cycles of development and amortization.  

Photo by: Jaguar

I know from experience witnessing our responses to the OPEC oil embargo and safety/emissions law of the early 1970s, the economic meltdown of the late 2000s, and the supply chain interruptions during the recent pandemic, that global geopolitical, regulatory, and economic circumstances can have a huge impact on consumers’ automotive choices. In the aftermath of Trump’s latest arbitrary aggressions, we’re already seeing marked increases in searches for electric vehicles. If this lunacy in the Middle East continues unabated, purchase behavior may shift wildly.

The future is an evanescent dream. But we have to imagine the destiny we want to inhabit. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Jag prototype, and long for another go with a more finished version. I also believe that an automotive landscape devoid of Jaguars would be far less rich and interesting. Hopefully, with its new super-sedan, Jag has envisioned just the car that tens of thousands of wealthy global iconoclasts will want to buy in 2027. This cat is on its ninth life. Here’s praying it lands on its paws as confidently as this prototype seems to. 

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Source: Jaguar

Brett Berk is a freelance automotive writer based in New York. He has driven and reviewed thousands of cars for Car and Driver and Road & Track, where he is a contributing editor. He has also written for Architectural Digest, Billboard, ELLE Decor, Esquire, GQ, Travel + Leisure and Vanity Fair.

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Official images from China have finally shown us the new Lynk & Co 10+. This is not a regular family car – it is a high-performance version of the upcoming 10 sedan. It seems the company wants to prove that EVs can be both smart and very fast. This new model will replace the Z10, after a very short life since its debut in late 2024.

One look at the Lynk & Co 10+ tells you it wants to go fast. It has a very sporty body kit that sets it apart from the standard version. You will notice big, aggressive bumpers and side skirts. The most obvious change is the massive rear spoiler sitting on the trunk. It also has a smaller “ducktail” spoiler and a roofline that slopes down smoothly. To keep the air moving easily, the car uses semi-hidden door handles and mirrors without frames – every little bit counts when it comes to EV efficiency.

The new Lynk & Co 10+

This is a large car, even if it looks sleek. The Lynk & Co 10+ measures 198.8 inches long, 77.4 inches wide, and 57.8 inches tall. It has a long wheelbase of 118.3 inches, so there should be plenty of legroom inside. It sits on big 21-inch wheels that fill up the wheel arches. We do not know exactly how much wind resistance it has, but the design suggests it is built to cut through the air effectively.

Technology is a big part of modern electric cars, and this one is loaded with it. On the roof, you can spot a LiDAR sensor. This works like a laser eye to help the car “see” the road. It also uses three radars, 11 cameras, and 12 sensors. All that data goes into a powerful Nvidia Drive Orin chip. This system helps the car with advanced driving tasks, making it safer and easier to handle in traffic.

The new Lynk & Co 10+

The real magic of the Lynk & Co 10+ is under the floor. It uses two electric motors to drive all four wheels. The motor in the front delivers 310 kW, which is about 416 hp. The motor in the back is even stronger, making 370 kW or 496 hp. When they work together, the car puts out 680 kW – that equals 912 hp.

Even though it weighs 5,042 lb, this car is quite quick. The top speed is capped at 149 mph. The company has not said exactly how fast it hits 62 mph, but we can have a good guess. A similar car from the same parent company is the Zeekr 001, and it does the sprint in 2.91 seconds. Since the Lynk & Co 10+ is a bit lighter, it might reach 62 mph in just 2.8 seconds – fast enough to make your stomach feel a bit funny.

The new Lynk & Co 10+

If you do not need all the 900 horsepower, there will be a standard Lynk & Co 10. That version looks more modest and uses 19-inch wheels. It comes with a single motor in the back. One version has 300 kW, and a slightly faster one has 370 kW. These models can still reach speeds between 137 mph and 149 mph. These EVs are meant to offer something for everyone, whether you want a daily commuter or a bit of a track beast.

The old Lynk & Co Z10 model did not sell very well. Since it launched, only about 11,510 units have been delivered. By comparison, the hybrid version of that car sold nearly three times as many units in a similar timeframe. By making the new 10 sedan look better and go faster, the company hopes to attract more buyers. They are betting that high tech and high power will be the winning formula.

The new Lynk & Co 10+

We are still waiting to hear about the battery. It will likely use a system that allows for very fast charging. We expect to see battery sizes around 95 kWh or 103 kWh. For reference, the older Z10 cost between RMB 186,800 ($27,200) and RMB 229,800 ($33,400), and the price of the new 10+ will be a bit higher because of all that extra power.

Via

German luxury car maker BWM has unveiled the i3, its first electric sedan under the Neue Klasse (New Class) platform, which will boast a whopping 900 km of range, outdoing the newly announced iX3’s 805 km range spec.

Details were unveiled in Munich this week, where the BMW i3 sedan had its world premiere, and will also be the city where the factory that will produce this model.

The dual-motor BMW i3 50 xDrive will be the first car off the rank under the i3 model name, with an expected arrival in early 2027, around 6 months after the iX3 lands on our shores this year.

This powertrain delivers 345 kW of power and 645 Nm of torque, making it one of the most powerful sedans the company makes.

Like the new iX3, the i3 sedan can charge at up to 400 kW at the right fast charger, adding 400 km of range in just 10 minutes.

Behind this charging speed is BMW’s sixth-generation eDrive tech, which moves to an 800 V architecture and cylindrical battery cells. That not only helps with hitting those charging speeds but also the range the sedan can deliver. 

Although specs on the battery pack were not disclosed for the i3, we can expect a similar capacity to that on the iX3, which stands at 108 kWh.

This battery also forms part of the cell-to-pack setup, which allows for high energy densities at the pack level and a flatter high-voltage battery pack.

Another bit of tech which would be welcomed by future i3 owners is Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) capability, as well as Vehicle-to-Home and Vehicle-to-Grid. More details on these capabilities will be announced later.

On the i3, there is also the new BMW Panoramic iDrive system, which will bring the traditional iDrive system into quite a modern experience. 

Like the iX3, the BMW i3 50 xDrive is the first variant in the lineup, and we can expect more variants with different specifications to be announced later down the track.

More details, including pricing and specifications, will be announced at a later date, likely closer to its early 2027 launch.

With a 900 km range on a single charge, 400 kW charging speeds, and a modern sports-car look with its tech-focused interior, it could be the best-selling European sedan on the market next year.

Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.