Cars are the technology of the future. The Verge brings you new car reviews, auto show insights, deeply reported investigations, and news from the frontlines of autonomous and electric vehicle development. We bring you updates from major companies like Ford, GM, Mercedes, and VW as well as digital upstarts like Uber, Google, and Tesla. Cars are among the biggest computers that we’ll ever own, and we know computers. We also bring you news and analyses from the growing effort to reduce the number of cars crowding our cities and the fight to reduce oil consumption, cut CO2 emissions, and shift to more sustainable sources of energy.
Charging the vehicle over 80 percent “may trigger thermal propagation within the high-voltage battery,” VW says. “If thermal propagation occurs, it may result in a vehicle fire.” If owners opt out, VW may decide to limit the charging through a remote vehicle setting. The recall affects 22,524 ID.4 vehicles built between January 2023 and February 2025.
Ford is now accepting sign-ups for preorder invites for the upcoming Ford Fathom, the automaker’s $28,350 electric truck that’s coming out next year. Keep in mind, no one has seen this truck beyond a few camouflaged images. But with the average transaction price for a new vehicle over $50,562, it couldn’t hurt to get in line for Ford’s new ultra-low-cost EV.
VW’s successor to the ID.4 has a “completely redesigned exterior,” a range of up to 600 km (372 miles), and either a 58 or 77 kWh battery. The ID.Tiguan will start at €42,695 and could launch as soon as early 2027.
The sportier, M-badged iX3 SUV has twin motors putting out 603 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque, with a blistering 0-60 time in 3.9 seconds. You can also expect all the standard M chassis tech, like adaptive suspension, variable sport steering, and an electronically controlled differential. BMW calls the design “unmistakably extroverted,” and yeah, I kind of agree.
If you’ve ever been blinded by the atomic glare of an approaching car at night, this one’s for you. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that it’s tackling headlight glare — a problem so widespread that it’s even spawned its own subreddit.
The agency said it will bring together experts in vehicle lighting with safety and equipment associations to come up with changes to federal safety rules. NHTSA already allows adaptive headlights, so I’ll be curious what solutions they come up with.
First, it was a rainstorm. Then the cars couldn’t accelerate properly. Then everyone had to wait around for a software update. That’s how a race at the Sepang International Circuit ended up starting 90 minutes late. The new engines have proven controversial and drawn plenty of ire from drivers.
After being idle on the throttle and letting the car slow, as is the norm on a formation lap, the software bug prevented the electrical power from kicking in. Tombazis described it as being a “loop.” The computer was stuck and unable to initiate a power return. For some drivers, the only solution was to stop and reset the car to get it going again. Esteban Ocon compared it to restarting Windows on a computer.
Sony’s keynotes were once a highlight of the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. But the company’s presence has shrunk in proportion to its slow exit from consumer electronics. And with Bravia now a TCL brand, and the Afeela EV joint venture with Honda scrubbed, there’s little reason to attend.
The all-electric minibus was supposed to come back this year, but now Volkswagen is pushing it the first half of 2027. When it does return, it will be slightly different, with only two-tone exterior paint, physical buttons on the steering wheel, NACS charging, and a Tourer trim aimed at camping enthusiasts. According to Automotive News, other changes include updated software, vehicle-to-load functionality, and digital key integration. In the meantime, MOIA America is using the previous generation versions as robotaxis.
[Automotive News]
Remember George Hotz, the iPhone-hacker-turned-driver-assist-developer? His company Comma.ai is under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after three people died and 11 people were injured while using the company’s hands-free driver assist products. The investigation is focused on vehicles crashing into other vehicles that are stopped in the lane, like emergency vehicles. That sounds familiar!
The bill would require all new cars, including electric vehicles like Tesla, to be capable of receiving AM radio broadcasts. It now advances to the Senate, where a companion bill has already racked up 60 cosponsors. The bill’s main sponsor Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) celebrated the House passage in a statement:
This vote sends a clear message to car manufacturers that AM Radio is a lifeline that must be protected in new vehicles. From emergency response to sports, entertainment, and news, AM radio is an essential communication tool for tens of millions of Americans.
Some automakers have dropped AM radio in recent years, citing dwindling audiences and possible interference with electric powertains.
Update September 16th: Cars would be required to receive AM broadcast, not send broadcasts.
The amount of data about you that many cars collect — and sell to third parties — is staggering.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a letter to the automaker that he was “deeply alarmed” that Ford licenses tech from battery maker CATL and automaker Geely, Reuters reports. Ford responded by accusing Duffy of being “wrongheaded” and “chasing headlines” — which, if you know Duffy, makes perfect sense. The letter drops a few months after the Trump administration banned Geely-owned Polestar from selling its EVs in the US.
I found this Washington Post story about the “lowly” seat belt warning — how they came to be, which automakers have the best and worst chimes, and the people who are still militantly opposed to wearing seat belts — to be highly fascinating. The occasion is that the federal government is delaying new rules that would require automakers to install more persistent warnings. It’s troubling because seat belts literally save lives, and so do reminders to wear them.
[The Washington Post]
After taking the wraps off its all-electric SkyNomad SUVs in July, Xiaomi has officially launched the four-car lineup in China, which starts at RMB 209,900 (~$31,275) for the N70 Pro model.
The priciest SkyNomad N90 Studio Max offers a pop-up camping roof, rotatable front seats, a collapsible table, and back seats that fold into a bed. It costs RMB 299,900 (~$44,685).
The S6 is a fast-charging, fast-accelerating EV that fits into the German brand’s under-the-radar fast sedan tradition quite well.
While checking out the 1,800-horsepower Destrier that Bugatti unveiled at Monterey Car Week, the folks at Road & Track also got a taste of the carmaker’s C-Seed Bugatti N1 TV.
Inspired by another 1,800hp beast, its sculptural design unfurls the 110- or 137-inch TV hiding inside in 45 seconds and can rotate up to 180 degrees.
The car was expected to sell for around $1.1 million, but the polarizing EV absolutely shattered that at auction. The proceeds from the sale of chassis #0 will be going to charity, but it’s still a wild price for a car that starts at $600,000 retail.
SV stands for Superveloce, or ‘super fast.’ And that’s an apt description for this heat-seeking missile of a sports car.
