Hybrids Cars: News & Models

Audi has revealed the Q9, its first full-size flagship SUV at 5,309 mm long. Europe gets a 3.0 V6 turbodiesel mild hybrid (245 or 299 hp) and quattro; the US gets a 435 hp 2.9 twin-turbo petrol, plus a 591 hp V8 SQ9. Orders open from July 2026, from €108,400 (about $118,100) in Germany, or $87,700 in the US.

Lexus will update the LS flagship sedan for Japan on September 10, 2026, dropping the non-hybrid V6 in favor of a hybrid-only lineup and trimming the range to three grades. Australia gets the same update toward the end of 2026 and keeps selling the car into 2027. The US drops the LS after the 2026 model year, sending it off with a 250-unit Heritage Edition.

Jaguar Land Rover has confirmed the Discovery Sport will finish its production run in December 2026. Orders will close earlier in parts of Europe, where the model does not meet incoming EU safety rules. No direct successor is planned; JLR's electrification push centers on a new Freelander family developed with Chery.

Maruti Suzuki has launched a facelifted Brezza for India with a new 1.0-litre turbo Boosterjet mild-hybrid engine making 110 hp, alongside the carryover naturally aspirated and CNG versions. Prices run from about $7,700 to $14,200; the compact SUV remains exclusive to the Indian market.

Toyota has revealed a 2027 Tundra with refreshed styling and, for the first time on its full-size pickup, a Trailhunter off-road package built on the SR5 trim. Trailhunter pricing and specs are still to come, with the truck due on sale in the fall of 2026.

Mercedes-Benz has confirmed a smaller version of the G-Class will be built exclusively at its Kecskemet plant in Hungary, part of a 1 billion euro (about $1.09 billion) expansion that will make Kecskemet the automaker's largest European factory, with the compact G-Class due to start production in 2027 as an EV with a hybrid variant added later.

Acura is reportedly developing a three-row flagship crossover positioned above the MDX, expected around 2029 as the largest SUV in the brand's history. It carries the internal working name "Acura XL" and would be built at Honda's Alabama plant with a new hybrid powertrain aimed at large vehicles.

Toyota has released early images of the facelifted Crown Crossover for Japan, showing a reworked rear end and a reversed two-tone paint split ahead of a mid-September 2026 launch, with powertrain and pricing details still to be confirmed.

In the ACSI 2026 automobile study, mass-market and luxury brands finished level at 78 points out of 100, and Toyota led the whole industry with 83. Mercedes-Benz was the best luxury brand at 81, while Cadillac fell 15% to last place on 69 and Lexus dropped 10% to 78.

Great Wall Motor's new Haval H10 flagship SUV, sold only as a 458 hp Hi4 plug-in hybrid with up to 200 km of CLTC electric range, drew more than 15,000 orders on its first day on sale in China, priced from 299,800 to 359,800 yuan ($44,200 to $53,100).

Mercedes-Maybach revealed the GLS 680, replacing the GLS 600 with an updated 4.0-litre electrified V8 now rated at 603 hp and 850 Nm, up 53 hp and 89 Nm. The SUV gets a redesigned illuminated grille, an optional illuminated bonnet star, and an updated MBUX Superscreen cabin. Ordering is open in China now; US and European order books open at the end of July 2026, with pricing still unannounced.

Chery Jaguar Land Rover has revealed the cabin of the Freelander 8, the first model from its new Freelander sub-brand. The six-seat SUV pairs a 46.3-inch panoramic display with a separate 15.6-inch central screen, an 800V architecture and Huawei's ADS 5.0 driver assistance.

DS Automobiles unveiled the N°7, its new premium SUV and DS 7 successor, on Stellantis's STLA Medium platform. It comes as a mild hybrid or in three electric E-TENSE tiers, topping out at 740 km WLTP range, with European prices from EUR 43,900 (about $47,600).

Nissan revealed the fourth-generation Elgrand and started sales in Japan, its first major redesign since 2010. The minivan runs Nissan's e-POWER hybrid system with e-4ORCE all-wheel drive, priced from ¥6,897,000 ($42,470).

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.

Volkswagen Group wants to cut its roughly 150 model lines by up to 50% and trim configuration options by up to 75%, while lowering annual production capacity to 9 million cars from a pre-pandemic target of 12 million. The Touareg, Touran, and T-Roc Cabriolet are among the models already leaving.

Xiaomi revealed its SkyNomad N90, the first model in a new lineup built around cabin space instead of driving dynamics. The full-size three-row EREV pairs a 416 hp dual-motor setup with a 76 kWh CALB battery for roughly 370 km of electric range, plus a transforming interior and a camper variant. It targets Li Auto and Aito's family SUVs, not Xiaomi's own SU7 and YU7 crowd.

Dacia has fully revealed the Striker, a raised estate built on the CMF-B platform it shares with the Bigster. Three powertrains are offered, from a 140 hp mild-hybrid petrol/LPG to a 150 hp all-wheel-drive hybrid, with orders opening in autumn 2026 and prices starting under €25,000 (about $27,000).

GWM opened Chinese pre-orders for the updated Tank 300, adding an elongated Tank 300L variant and a new Hi4-Z twin-motor plug-in hybrid rated at 761 hp and 1,195 Nm. The base 2.0-litre turbo now makes 245 hp; the diesel and Hi4-T PHEV carry over. Chinese sales open July 19, from about $38,320.

Land Rover slotted a new Landmark trim into the Discovery lineup, between the base S and flagship Tempest, with an exclusive Tasman Blue paint finish and upgraded interior. UK prices start from £75,860 (about $101,100).