$1.1M Aston DB5, 600-HP Charger, Honda kills Prologue
PLUS: Bugatti W16 dies, M3 spied, retro Jeep Laredo
Releases & Reviews
The Audi Q7 Gets A Price Hike, While The SQ7 Nears $100,000
Audi's overhauled 2027 Q7 gains fresh styling and updated power while starting at $70,900—up $3,300. Its standard twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 makes 429 horsepower (320 kW), while the range-topping SQ7's 4.0-liter V8 pumps out 591 hp (441 kW) and creeps toward six figures at $98,700.
Dodge's Most Powerful Charger Sixpack Could Push 600 Horsepower
For its 60th birthday, Dodge will unveil its most potent Charger Sixpack yet at Roadkill Nights on August 8. The twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six currently makes 550 horsepower (410 kW), and rumors point to a bump near 600 hp (447 kW)—still no Hemi V-8, but enough to embarrass a Mustang.
Technology, Market Data & Analysis
Dead: Honda Pulls the Prologue's Plug After 2026
Honda will end Prologue production after the 2026 model year, leaving it without a battery-electric vehicle in the U.S. or Canada. The GM Ultium-based SUV was always a stopgap for the now-canceled Zero Series. Honda blames the expired federal EV tax credit and is leaning on hybrids and hydrogen instead.
Average Used Car Price Tops $27,000
The average used-car listing hit $27,027 in June, up 6% year over year and the highest in three years, per Cox Automotive. New cars averaged $49,758, and buyers are stretching to afford both—six-year loan terms set a record at 31.1%. Affordable sub-$15,000 vehicles remain scarce.
Car Culture
$1.1M Aston Martin DB5 Shooting Brake Is a Pheasant's Worst Nightmare
One of just 12 ever built, this 1966 DB5 Shooting Brake sold for £848,750 (about $1.14 million) at RM Sotheby's. Coachbuilder Harold Radford reworked the Bond-famous coupe into a hunting wagon with a new roof, rear quarters, and a hatch. Values are up 66% over the past decade, versus 7% for the standard saloon.
Head-Turning 1948 Mercury Woody 4x4 Wagon Is up for Sale on Bring a Trailer
This 1948 Mercury Eight wagon pairs a breathtaking all-wood body with a rare, factory-approved Marmon-Herrington 4x4 conversion. Its flathead V-8 makes about 100 horsepower (75 kW) through a three-speed manual—good for gentle country rambles up to 40 mph (64 km/h). Bidding on Bring a Trailer ends July 22.
Miscellaneous
A Parking System In A Cute Canadian Town Was Sending People To A Porn Site
The tourist town of Elora, Ontario rolled out a QR-code parking system in May—only for scanners to land on a porn site instead of the payment portal. Visitors reportedly got "porn and free parking" and took it in stride. The township has bagged the signs and suspended payments; no data was compromised.
Zoox Recall Affects 105 Robotaxis After Fire Scene Incident
Zoox is recalling the software on all 105 of its robotaxis after one drove into a smoke-obscured Las Vegas fire scene in June, braking hard before a remote operator reversed it out. An over-the-air update improves smoke detection—arriving amid NHTSA warnings of a "clear pattern" of driverless cars interfering with first responders.
Quick Links
Next-Generation BMW M3 Spotted Testing with Six-Cylinder Power
Spy shots from the Nürburgring show the next-gen M3 will keep a reworked twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six alongside the upcoming electric version, though the manual and rear-drive base model may not survive its 2028 debut.
Modern Bugatti Built Its Reputation on the W16. Now, It's Going Away
The final W16 has left the factory—the quad-turbo 8.0-liter engine that powered every modern Bugatti, bowing out in the 1,578-horsepower (1,177 kW) Mistral roadster as the new Tourbillon switches to a V16 hybrid.
California creates $3,500 rebate for new electric vehicle buyers
California's new MyFirstEV program gives residents a $3,500 point-of-sale rebate on their first EV priced under $50,000—plus $1,750 for used EVs under $25,000—softening the blow of the expired federal tax credit.
Did You Know China Makes A Beetle Clone? And It Just Got Better
The Ora Ballet Cat, China's cute Beetle-inspired EV, gets a 2026 boost from 169 to 201 horsepower (126 to 150 kW) and a top-speed jump from 96 to 112 mph (154 to 180 km/h), plus a new lithium-iron phosphate battery.
Our Two Cents: The Cars We'd Carve on Mt. Rushmore
Hagerty's writers debate which four American cars belong on an automotive Mt. Rushmore—the Ford Model T is unanimous, but picks diverge from the '32 Ford and Tri-Five Chevy to the Willys Jeep and Tesla Model S.
2027 Jeep Wrangler Laredo: Cowboy Up
Jeep revives the '80s Laredo as a nostalgia-drenched Wrangler trim with period brown-and-gold graphics, a tan soft-top, and a 285-horsepower (213 kW) 3.6-liter V6, starting just under $50,000.
Bentley's EV Will Swap Faux Engine Noise for an Onboard Drum Track
Bentley's Torcal EV crossover, debuting in September, will greet the throttle with a drum-forward soundtrack—derived from its historic six-, eight-, and twelve-cylinder engines and blended with strings—rather than fake combustion noise.