Big Boy's Toys..

The VW Group missed its European fleet emissions target last year. Porsche will pool emissions with Xpeng to help avoid a repeat in 2026-2027. Carmakers face a €95 fine per vehicle for every gram of CO2 over the limit. Rather than combining its European emissions with the Volkswagen Group across 2026-2027, Porsche will pool its figures with Chinese automaker Xpeng, according to a new report citing analyst Matthias Schmidt. The move puts the VW Group in a stronger position to hit its targets and steer clear of expensive fines, since carving Porsche out of the group average pulls that number in the right direction. In 2025, the VW Group’s average European emissions, Porsche included, landed at 100 g/km, above the EU’s mandate of 93.6 g/km. Miss those targets and the conglomerate could be on the hook for as much as €1.5 billion ($1.7 billion) in fines across 2025-2027. As it stands, the penalty runs €95 ($109) per gram of CO2 over the limit, pe...

Mahindra teased its upcoming ICE-powered midsize pickup. The production model arrives three years after the concept. It rides on a ladder-frame chassis powered by a turbodiesel. Midsize pickups are on the rise everywhere, and Mahindra wants a piece of the popular segment. The Indian automaker dropped an official teaser ahead of an August 14 debut, giving away pieces of the exterior and interior of a truck it hasn’t named yet. More: You Can Buy Four Of These Wrangler Clones For One Jeep And Still Have Cash Left The truck is the production version of the Global Pik Up concept revealed exactly three years ago. It seems to keep the double-cab silhouette and rising character line of the concept, though the details have moved on. The teaser shows new headlights and taillights with sharp LED graphics, plus the Mahindra lettering across the tailgate. A Cabin That Looks Very Familiar Mahindra / YouT...

Ford weighed importing the Crown Vic to replace Australia’s Falcon. The plan was investigated, then dropped before any launch. Abimelec Design reimagined the sedan as an Aussie-style ute. Ford’s Crown Victoria earned its place in automotive history mostly by being everywhere in the US, doing time as a cop car and a taxi. Had a few decisions broken the other way, big body-on-frame sedan with a V8 powering the rear wheels might have been sold in Australia, and it could have ended up looking something like this. While Ford sold the Crown Vic across the US, it kept the Falcon in showrooms throughout Australia. When the time came to replace the EL-generation model, the automaker considered walking away from a locally built model and bringing in an import instead. The Crown Vic got its moment under the microscope during that process, but the plan went nowhere, and it never reached buyers Down Under. Read: No One Asked For A GTD Crown Vic, But...

Ford and Lincoln are rolling out an advanced AI Assistant. It functions as a smart, AI-infused owner’s manual. AI can access vehicle information to give recommendations. Owner’s manuals are full of useful information, but most people don’t even flip open the cover . Those that do are usually looking for something very specific and this means going to the index and hunting down what you’re after. In effect, it’s like using an encyclopedia and pretending its 1984. The Blue Oval is now bringing the experience into the 21st century with their AI Assistant. Announced earlier this year, the technology is baked into the Ford and Lincoln apps and brings “immediate, personalized intelligence” to approximately 8 million customers. More: Toyota And Google Team Up To Reinvent The Owner’s Manual With “Driver’s Companion” Virtual Assistant When you open the app, you can access the AI Assistant by tapping a blue celestial-style icon at the top. It ...