Big Boy's Toys..

Mercedes recalls 310,667 cars and SUVs in US over potentially faulty door microswitches. Corrosion can prevent automatic parking safeguards engaging when drivers open a door. Wide range of models affected, including A-Class, B-Class, CLA, C-Class, GLA, GLB, GLC. Sharing components across a sprawling model range can save automakers a fortune, but it can also turn one dodgy little part into a very big headache. Mercedes reminded us of that this month by recalling 310,667 vehicles in the US because a faulty driver’s door switch could potentially let them roll away after occupants get out. The culprit is a microswitch inside the driver’s door lock. Mercedes says a supplier development error resulted in some switches receiving housing material that might allow moisture through under certain climatic conditions. Given enough time, that moisture can cause corrosion and eventually kill the switch. Related: Mercedes Dealer Said Extended Test Dri...

The new AMG GT Black Series will look more like a GT3 race car than a road car. Recent spy shots and videos show it rocking a dramatic aero kit with a huge rear wing. Mercedes-AMG is expected to fit the car with its new flat-plane crank 4.0-liter TT V8. Only six Mercedes-AMG models have ever earned the radical Black Series treatment. The first showed up in 2006 as the SLK 55 AMG Black Series, and the most recent landed in 2021, built on the first-generation AMG GT. Now a fresh one is in the works. Based on the second-gen AMG GT, Mercedes-AMG teased the new Black Series several months ago and has since been caught lapping Germany’s Nürburgring next to its GT3 race car sibling. A heavily camouflaged prototype of the track weapon has now surfaced on the move in Spain, and it looks even wilder out in the open. Read: AMG’s New Road Car Is So Extreme It Doesn’t Even Have A Rear Window Much like Porsche’s current 911 GT3 RS, the new AMG G...

BMW’s electric X5 M prototype has appeared on test in Germany. Four electric motors could deliver up to 900 hp with individual control. EV builds reportedly begin in 2028, but V8 fans will get their fix too. BMW’s new X5 family, including the first ever electric iX5, is barely out of the delivery room, but the M division is already plotting something considerably more unhinged. A heavily camouflaged prototype spotted pounding around Germany looks like an X5 M, except there’s one rather important ingredient missing. Exhaust pipes. Yep, this bruiser appears to run entirely on electrons. Related: BMW’s Latest X5 Out-Rooms The X7 And Has An 8K Cinema, But It’s Not For You BMW hasn’t confirmed exactly what we’re looking at, but the clues are piling up. The prototype wears a much chunkier kidney grille treatment than the regular X5 and iX5, giving its nose the sort of visual aggression you’d expect from a full-fat M model. Instead of the regul...

Limited-run Mercedes-AMG CLE Mythos debuts the new twin-turbo V8. The regular CLE and AMG G63 are also set to receive the new V8 engine. An inline-six arrives alongside the upcoming AMG V8-powered models. Mercedes-AMG is finally getting its mojo back. After a few disappointing years spent dabbling in tepid plug-in hybrids and turbocharged four-cylinders, the brand is returning to its roots with a burbling V8. When exactly it reaches the market, though, remains a bit of a mystery. Given current emissions restrictions and its shift toward smaller powertrains, plug-in hybrids, and EVs, Mercedes-Benz had every reason to abandon V8 engines entirely, and no one would have blamed it. Instead, the brand heavily reworked its familiar 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, fitting it with a flat-plane crank and making it fully Euro 7 compliant. Read: Mercedes-AMG Is Bringing Back The Noise, The Drama, And The V8 While recently speaking with Road & Trac...

TOM’s helped develop an unusual helmet inspired by growing bear fears in Japan. Face shield aims to reduce facial injury risks during scary outdoor encounters. Maker repeatedly stresses it doesn’t guarantee protection against bear attacks. If someone told you they’d just placed an order with TOM’s you might imagine them waiting on a set of coilovers for a Lexus, an exhaust for a GR Yaris or maybe a flawless AE86 resto . Even with a gazillion guesses you’d never think the motorsport outfit’s latest innovation was bear protection gear. Yes, bears, the furry things that live and do their thing in the woods. TOM’s, the legendary Japanese tuning and motorsports company best known for decades of success with Toyota and Lexus machinery, has helped develop a new helmet called Protect Light to keep people safe from them. It’s aimed at farmers, walkers, and anyone uneasy about Japan ‘s growing number of bear sightings. Related: TOM’S Turns Japan’s ...

Modern headlights increasingly require replacement instead of simple repair procedures. Insurer says repair-friendly designs could significantly reduce costs and CO2 emissions. Toyota highlighted as a rare example offering more repair-friendly headlight components. A parking lot scrape used to mean a bit of paintwork and maybe a bruised ego. These days, it can also mean a four-figure headlight bill. According to German insurance giant Allianz, modern vehicle lighting technology has become one of the biggest contributors to rising repair costs. The company says roughly 870,000 headlights are damaged in accidents every year in Germany alone. Even more shocking is how much replacement costs have climbed, Handelsblatt reports. Allianz estimates the average price of a single headlight increased from €708 ($810) in 2015 to €1,251 ($1,430) in 2025, while some units can reportedly cost as much as €6,700 ($7,650) a piece. Why A Small Scrape Cost...

Tesla’s profits have taken a hit due to its huge investment in AI. Second-quarter deliveries hit a record 480,126 units this year. Demand has increased across Europe and through Asia Pacific. Earlier this month, Tesla said second-quarter sales bounced back hard after large stretches of last year went sideways, landing the company a record. Then Wednesday’s Q2 earnings landed. By Thursday’s close, shares had slid 14.5 percent to $319.69, wiping out $214.5 billion of market value in one session. According to WSJ , that’s the worst single day in Tesla’s history, and the sum lost exceeds the entire current market cap of every other automaker. Across April, May, and June of this year, Tesla produced a total of 451,758 vehicles and delivered 480,126. This represents the best Q2 result in the company’s history and was up 25 percent from the same quarter last year. The increase also followed consecutive year-over-year declines in quarterly deliveries...