News Bites: the week’s headlines, all in one place

Here’s our roundup of the top news stories which have caught our attention this week.

Headlines at a glance

• It looks increasingly likely that the EU’s 2035 cut-off for the end of all internal combustion engined vehicle production – hybrids included – will be pushed back, to the delight of car manufacturers and dismay of environmental campaigners. This follows a previous postponement here in the UK, which had proposed a 2030 cut-off that was then put back by the previous government to align with the EU’s 2035 date . A full announcement is expected next week but the ban could be postponed until 2040 as the industry adapts to reduced take-up for electric vehicles. More when we have it… • There’s still no official announcement on last week’s news of Jaguar Land Rover design chief Gerry McGovern leaving the business but the show goes on with the Jaguar Type 00 conceived under his watch and news that it will star in a window display at 91 Knightsbridge in the run-up to Christmas. Its place in Jaguar’s story will be put into context alongside previous icons in the brand’s evolution, from the original SS that launched 90 years ago in similar fashion. An E-type and XJS will also be part of the display, which is live now!

To paraphrase a famous movie quote life is coming pretty fast at Tesla, not least when it comes to the increasingly ambitious Chinese rivals looking to steal its lunch. Specifically, the new All-Wheel-Drive Performance Black Edition version of the Xpeng G6 which, in one of those funny coincidences, looks somewhat similar to the Tesla Model Y Performance and perhaps explains the brand’s ‘Chinese Tesla’ reputation. The G6 has already had several rolling updates since we drove it last, this latest round extending to a claimed 20,000 incremental improvements and introduction of this new 487 horsepower flagship seemingly pitched directly at the Model Y Performance. But with a bottom-line price of 10 grand less. True, it can’t quite match the Tesla’s still-astonishing 3.5-second 0-62mph time, though at 4.1 seconds it’s hardly slow. That’s about the only stat going in the Model Y’s favour, though, the G6’s theoretical maximum charging rate of 451kW humbling the 250kW best-case equivalent for the Tesla. Theoretical for the fact there aren’t any chargers here that will deliver that rate of charge. But impressive all the same. Tesla’s reaction to all this is … unusual. Rather than reassert its superiority with some ludicrously fast Performance Plus or Plaid twist on the Model Y it’s instead announced a cheaper, back-to-basics Standard version with a smaller battery and focus on affordability and reduced cost of ownership. All of which feels an uncharacteristically muted response, given Xpeng is going the other way with All The Tech and All The Performance. Interesting times! Dan Trent

Van news now with a couple of quick stories that caught our eye. First, the all-electric Ford E-Transit Custom will be available from early 2026 with an upgraded 71 kWh battery providing an increased range of up to 231 miles. Also coming in early 2026 are all-wheel-drive E-Transit Customs fitted with a second drive unit on the front wheels and available in a choice of three power outputs – 100, 160 or 210 kW. The Ford Transit Custom is the UK’s best-selling medium van by a big margin and it’s great to see the electric version getting a sizeable increase in its range and new drivetrain options. Second, the Kia PV5 Cargo has been awarded a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating. It posted a strong performance across key categories including occupant protection, safety assist and crash avoidance, and post-crash safety tech. This just adds to the PV5’s swelling list of awards, including being named International Van of the Year (IVOTY) 2026 by the IVOTY jury. I mean, when you consider its price, capabilities and striking good looks it feels like the PV5 Cargo will be giving EVERY van a run for its money in 2026! - Tom Roberts.

This week we’ve been driving the new Clio which Renault hopes will become as iconic as the original. This Clio has a meaner and more aggressive look, but it won’t arrive here until 2027. When asked why, Renault explained it had been waiting for clarification on the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate to understand exactly when new petrol and hybrid car sales would be banned. The good news is the plucky hatchback will live on in hybrid and pure petrol form, the latter of which still gets a manual gearbox. But is the Clio’s arch-rival about to return too? This week news broke that Ford will be partnering with Renault to bring us two new electric cars by 2028. The cars will take Renault’s electric know-how which underpin the Renault 5 and add Ford design on top. This could mean a Fiesta-size hatchback is on the cards. The brands are also in talks about a collaboration on commercial vehicles too, but we will have to wait and see how this could shape Ford vans in the future. - Catherine Kent.