Brand News

Two Mercedes-AMG owners have filed a class-action lawsuit in a US federal court alleging the metal AMG emblem embedded in the driver's seatback heats up in the sun and burns skin on contact, in one case leaving a second-degree burn shaped like the logo.

Aston Martin is transferring 50.1% of its non-automotive branding rights - everything except cars and Formula 1 - to US brand-licensing group Authentic Brands, as a condition of a GBP 550m debt package led by HPS Investment Partners. Creditors owed GBP 1.3bn have sent a letter before action over the move.

Proton's e.MAS sub-brand passed 31,504 electrified registrations as of 31 July, the fastest any brand has reached that mark in Malaysian history - 20 months after the e.MAS 7's December 2024 launch. e.MAS now holds 42.6% of Malaysia's EV market, led by the e.MAS 5 hatchback.

BMW has pushed a full-screen promo for Sony's Spider-Man: Brand New Day to the infotainment systems of cars already sold, three years after saying it would not sell screen space for advertising. The campaign runs 27 July to 10 August 2026 in more than 70 countries.

JLR has named 15-year company veteran Mark Cameron to lead its US and Canada business from September 1, 2026, succeeding Joe Eberhardt after nearly 13 years in the role. Cameron takes over as JLR wants to double North America's business within five years and prepares to launch the Range Rover Electric and the reborn Jaguar Type 01.

Mercedes-Benz has started returning physical controls to its interiors after customer complaints about touch surfaces. The new CLA Shooting Brake and electric GLC get a steering wheel with rollers, keys and switches, and that wheel becomes standard on future models.

Cadillac has confirmed it will bring back gasoline-powered versions of the XT5 and XT6 crossovers, reversing an earlier decision to discontinue both nameplates as part of an EV-only push. The two will sell alongside Cadillac's electric Optiq, Lyriq, Vistiq and Escalade IQ; a next-generation gas CT5 sedan is also in development. Pricing and timing for the revived XT5 and XT6 have not been disclosed.

After confirming the Prologue EV will end production following the 2026 model year, Honda is now suggesting owners consider a hybrid for their next vehicle. The message appeared in July billing statements to US customers under the heading "Consider What's Next." Owner reaction has been largely critical, with many saying they have no plans to return to a gas-engine car. Honda has also canceled three planned North American EVs and says it will bring 15 new hybrid models to market worldwide by 2030.

XPeng CEO He Xiaopeng calls the United States a market the company has to enter eventually and says it would build factories there if American policy permitted it, though there is no timeline. Canada is the more likely first step in North America, with talks underway but no launch decision.

Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer and Apple's main assembly partner, had planned to pitch US automakers on building its Model C electric crossover, sold in Taiwan as the Luxgen n7, as a Tesla Model Y rival. The plan is paused over new import tariffs, the end of federal EV tax credits, and a slowing US EV market.

Scout Motors plans to sell its Traveler and Terra models directly to customers instead of through franchised dealers, and Volkswagen dealers are now suing in several US states over it.

Scout Motors welded the first Traveler body shell at its Blythewood, South Carolina plant, a pre-production milestone as the site moves from construction to line trials ahead of series production.

Ford ranked first among mass-market brands in J.D. Power's 2026 Initial Quality Study, but CEO Jim Farley says he is not satisfied because Ford still leads the industry in recall campaigns. Ford has issued 56 recalls covering 12.1 million vehicles so far in 2026, after a record 153 recalls covering nearly 13 million vehicles in 2025.

Audi is walking back its all-screen, all-touch interior direction, promising more physical buttons, dials and higher-grade materials under a new design philosophy called Radical Next, previewed on the Concept C and the Nuvolari.

A tiny Italian coachbuilder in Piedmont hand-builds around 30 cars a year - a two-seat retro sports car with a naturally aspirated, Ford-sourced 5.0-liter V8 tuned to about 500 hp, a six-speed manual, and no touchscreens. The open Barchetta has been reaching customers since 2025 from $290,000; a fixed-roof Coupe was previewed at Goodwood in July 2026, with the first example due in 2027.

Tesla tore down its Fremont, California Model S/X assembly line in just 46 days, closing out 14 years of production that began with the Model S in 2012. The freed floor space is being converted into an Optimus humanoid robot line that Tesla wants scaled to roughly a million units a year, with full-scale output targeted for late July or August 2026.

Toyota will invest $3.6 billion to expand its San Antonio, Texas plant and shift Tacoma pickup production there from Mexico, with the new line targeted for 2030.

Audi chief technical officer Rouven Mohr says one model can no longer satisfy the US, China, and Europe at once. China gets a standalone "AUDI" lineup built with SAIC and sold without the four rings, alongside the classic Audi range which stays. The US and Europe will get more region-specific models and configurations too.

General Motors is investing $275 million in its Spring Hill, Tennessee plant, with $150 million earmarked for a new gasoline-powered Cadillac, the clearest sign yet that the brand has stepped back from an all-electric future.

Ford has brought back more than 300 human quality inspectors after replacing them with AI systems several years ago. The automaker found AI handles repetitive defect checks well but struggles with unusual production issues, and now runs a hybrid model where AI assists inspectors rather than replacing them.