MotorIllustrated

09/04/2026

Volkswagen Group just got board approval for a hard reset: roughly 50% fewer models across its 10 brands by 2035, and around 50,000 jobs cut worldwide under Future Plan 2030. Fewer vehicles, shared platforms, less complexity.

https://motorillustrated.com/volkswagen-group-plans-50-model-reduction-as-restructuring-targets-50000-jobs/194050/

Volkswagen plans to reduce its group-wide model portfolio by approximately 50% by 2035. About 50,000 additional global positions are targeted as Volkswagen restructures engineering and manufacturing operations. Seat remains under review while Volkswagen increases the strategic importance of its Cupr...

09/04/2026

Honda's answer to its first-ever annual loss is a massive cost-cutting campaign — and suppliers are footing the bill. The automaker wants to save US$9.4 billion by 2030 by asking suppliers to cut the price of parts by about 30%. Personalized cost-cutting plans were handed to key suppliers earlier this year.

https://motorillustrated.com/honda-aims-to-save-9-4-billion-by-2030-by-asking-suppliers-to-cut-costs/194011/

Honda expects losses tied to its cancelled EV program to mount to $12 billion. To make up for it and better compete with Chinese automakers, Honda wants its suppliers to drastically cut costs. These cuts will revolve around pressed and forged elements, electrical components, and software. Reeling fr...

09/04/2026

Jensen International is back with a 960-hp track weapon. The Interceptor GTX rides on a clean-sheet aluminium platform, and it is only the start — a GTR and a four-seat road-going GT are already in the pipeline.
https://motorillustrated.com/new-jensen-interceptor-program-starts-with-960-hp-track-only-gtx/194004/

09/04/2026

Ford's all-electric Fathom pickup is getting Apple Maps baked right into the dash — no phone required. MapKit for Automotive runs navigation natively on the truck's screens, finally matching what Android Automotive already does in GM's EVs. Pre-orders are targeted for early 2027 out of Louisville, Kentucky.
https://motorillustrated.com/tech-decoded-apple-maps-built-into-the-fathom-no-need-for-your-phone/193870/

The 2027 Ford Fathom, a new 100% electric pickup on the universal electric vehicle (UEV) platform, will for the first time have an integrated Apple Maps navigation system that does not require a phone. World’s first vehicle with Apple Maps natively integrated: the 2027 Fathom, via MapKit for Autom...

09/03/2026

Lewis Hamilton rolled into Monza for Italian GP media day behind the wheel of his own Ferrari F40 — a 69 km example that sat under a dust cover for 30 years before Ferrari's factory technicians brought it back to the road. The front plate reads 44, and so does the engine block.

https://motorillustrated.com/lewis-hamilton-ferrari-f40-monza-engine-44/193975/

Hamilton drove his restored Ferrari F40 to Monza media day on September 3, 2026 The car showed 69 km and had sat under a dust sheet for more than 30 years Ferrari technicians found the number 44 stamped on the engine block during recommissioning Lewis Hamilton arrived at the Autodromo Nazionale Monz...

09/03/2026

Lightning McQueen is lapping Monza this weekend as Disney and Pixar's Cars turns 20. The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 PRO 4MATIC+ safety car wears a one-off Cars livery for the Italian Grand Prix, the first race weekend since F1 and Disney extended their collaboration through 2028.

https://motorillustrated.com/mercedes-amg-safety-car-cars-livery-monza-2026/193921/

09/03/2026

Production won't start before mid-2028, but Scout Motors is already teasing what the Traveler can become. Two new concepts: the luxe Mountainside, and the Trail-Ready riding on 35-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrains with an integrated winch.

https://motorillustrated.com/scout-motors-reveals-two-traveler-suv-concepts/193907/

09/03/2026

Seat could be dead by 2029. A confidential document prepared for Volkswagen's supervisory board this week reportedly outlines an orderly wind-down of the Spanish brand — a year shy of its 80th birthday — as the Group consolidates around Cupra. Customer service and existing obligations would carry on after new Seat operations are phased out.
https://motorillustrated.com/volkswagen-reportedly-plans-to-end-seat-brand-by-2029-cupra-prioritized/193897/

Volkswagen apparently plans to phase out the Seat vehicle brand by the end of 2029. Cupra deliveries rose 33% in 2025 while Seat sales declined 17%. Seat says Volkswagen has discussed transformation plans but has not made final strategic decisions. Volkswagen Group is considering ending the Seat veh...

09/03/2026

Toyota has teamed up with Graeter's to sell Sienna Chip wheels — premium ice cream sandwiches wearing the minivan's badge. Volkswagen's Currywurst finally has a rival.
https://motorillustrated.com/a-company-now-makes-toyota-sienna-branded-ice-cream-sandwiches/193896/

Graeter’s is an ice cream and baked goods company operating in the U.S. Midwest. One of its products is sandwiches made of chocolate chip cookies and premium ice cream, which it calls chip wheelies. A special edition, Toyota Sienna-branded variety of Chip wheels is now available in the U.S. at $86...

09/03/2026

The all-electric three-row Highlander has been delayed again — some now predict it won't arrive before 2029. With ICE Highlanders still selling well, Toyota is clearly in no rush.

https://motorillustrated.com/toyota-pushes-highlander-ev-launch-again-may-not-arrive-for-another-year-or-longer/193892/