Aurelia Butler

A new rumor suggests that the legendary Shelby GT500 Mustang is headed for production in the near future. The rumor can be traced back to a now-deleted post on the r/Mustang Reddit page that shows what looks to be a leaked United Auto Workers internal memo.According to the memo, the Shelby GT500 will make its return for the 2026 model year and will be powered by an engine dubbed “Legend.”Despite the seventh-generation Mustang not appearing until the 2024 model year, Ford hasn’t had the courtesy to offer a Shelby GT500 since 2022. Thankfully, our drought may finally be ending as a new rumor suggests that Ford could resurrect the Shelby GT500 for the 2026 model year. The rumor originates from a now-deleted post on the r/Mustang Reddit page that showed what appeared to be a leaked United Auto Workers internal memo. The memo had a link to UAW Local 600’s website at the bottom and referenced multiple recent changes to Ford’s Dearborn Engine Plant. The author of the memo also referenced an additional shift being added to the Niche assembly line. Why should we care about Ford adding a shift at an engine plant? Well, the extra shift is apparently directly tied to the production of an upcoming 2026 Shelby GT500. The memo continues on to say, “I can’t wait until we start building engines for such an iconic vehicle with an engine that will be named Legend.”What that engine could entail will surely be up for plenty of debate. The last GT500 used Ford’s Predator supercharged 5.2-liter V-8. The GT3-inspired Mustang GTD will use a dry-sump version of that 760-hp Predator engine but pushes the output to 815 horsepower. It’s unlikely that Ford will produce a less powerful version of the GT500, but the automaker also won’t want to overshadow its $300,000-plus model.The imminent arrival of the Mustang GTD certainly makes the proposition of a new Shelby GT500 an interesting idea. Both the fifth- and sixth-gen Mustangs were topped by a Shelby GT500, but Ford has been mum on the name since the seventh-gen model debuted. We could see the Blue Oval brand pushing into the four-digit power range but holding back many of the race-inspired components that ballooned the GTD’s price tag. Car and Driver reached out to both Ford and the UAW for comment with a spokesperson for Ford declining to comment on speculation about future products. We will update this story if we hear back from the UAW.More on the GT500Jack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. More

Mercedes-Benz will unveil an electric supercar concept from its AMG performance division this year, according to a report from Autocar.The concept will preview the powertrain that will underpin the dedicated AMG electric sedan and SUV that are due in the next two years.The report also claims that Mercedes will launch a new GLB SUV with both hybrid and electric setups, as well as a heavily reworked EQS that will adopt the storied S-class name.Two weeks ago, Mercedes-Benz declared that the new CLA—which we just drove in prototype form—will kick off “the most intense product launch” program in the automaker’s nearly 100-year history. In the announcement, Mercedes confirmed several new or significantly refreshed vehicles which will arrive before 2027, including the face-lifted S-class that we recently spied testing in Sweden. Now a report from Autocar suggests that Mercedes-Benz’s EV push will be led by an extreme supercar concept from the high-performance AMG division.AMG Goes EVThe electric Mercedes-AMG supercar will be shown as a concept later this year, Autocar reported, and will draw upon the radical Vision One-Eleven concept from 2023. According to one of Autocar’s sources, a ‘high-ranking insider,’ the concept ‘will be the fastest-accelerating car AMG has ever produced.’The sleek two-door will preview the potent electric powertrain that will underpin dedicated AMG EVs due in the next couple of years, which will include both a sedan—serving as a next generation for the AMG GT sedan—and an SUV.Mercedes-BenzVision One-Eleven concept.According to one of Autocar’s sources, who was described as a “high-ranking insider,” the concept “will be the fastest-accelerating car AMG has ever produced.” The rapid acceleration will be thanks to a new axial-flux electric motor developed by the British company Yasa, acquired by Mercedes in 2021. The supercar concept will also supposedly debut a next-generation battery, which might be a solid-state unit and will utilize input from the company’s High Performance Powertrain division that crafts the hybrid powertrains for Mercedes’s F1 cars. We’ve reached out to Mercedes for comment on the AMG supercar and will update this story when we’ve heard back.A Mixed Powertrain StrategyThe supercar concept is just one reveal among dozens coming from Mercedes, and the automaker confirmed three other products in its announcement. The CLA arrives first and will come with both an electric powertrain and a 48-volt electrified four-cylinder engine. Mercedes also announced electric versions of the GLC SUV, C-class sedan, and E-class sedan, continuing the brand’s shift away from the EQ moniker and toward a strategy of offering multiple powertrains under the same nameplate. Mercedes-BenzThe 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA in prototype form.The GLC EV should debut this year, while the other two are expected to emerge later. The GLC EV and C-class EV will share a platform and AMG-tuned variants for both vehicles are in the cards. Both the GLC and C-class EVs should feature single-motor/rear-wheel-drive and dual-motor/all-wheel-drive variants.Along with those confirmed models, Autocar reports that the CLA will be accompanied by a new GLB. The compact SUV is expected to grow slightly in size and share powertrains with the CLA sedan. The electric version will also employ the GLB badge, signaling the end of the EQB nameplate.2026 will bring the refreshed S-class, wearing a new face and running new software that should make better use of the screen-covered dashboard. A more advanced Level 3 autonomous driving system will also improve on the Drive Pilot setup currently found in the Mercedes flagship. The electric EQS is also set for a thorough reworking and is expected to adopt the S-class name despite riding on a different platform.Mercedes-BenzThe upcoming electric Mercedes-AMG sedan.AMG’s first dedicated EV will be unveiled in 2026, with the aforementioned sedan coming first ahead of the SUV version in 2027. Mercedes has already teased both models testing. The sporty sedan and SUV will both ride on a new platform called AMG.EA.Other upcoming models include refreshes for the gas-powered C-class, EQS SUV, EQE sedan, and EQE SUV. The gas-powered GLE and GLS SUVs are also due for a facelift to extend their life span to around 2030. Mercedes is also expected to release more details on the baby G-class, recently confirmed by the automaker, in 2026 ahead of a 2027 debut. The baby G-class is expected to be related to the updated GLB.More on Mercedes-Benz’s FutureCaleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan. More

The 2025 Honda Prologue adds a new front electric motor that adds both power and range.Front-wheel-drive Prologues now make 220 horsepower, up by eight, and all-wheel-drive variants produce 300 hp, a 12-hp increase.The front-wheel-drive versions gain 12 miles for a 308-mile range while the all-wheel-drive Prologue now maxes out at 294 miles of range.The Honda Prologue—the automaker’s first dedicated EV for the United States—got off to a hot start in 2024. Despite not going on sale until the end of the second quarter, the Prologue managed to rack up 33,017 sales in 2024, making the electric mid-size SUV the sixth-biggest-selling EV in the U.S. last year. But Honda is making the Prologue more enticing for EV shoppers in 2025, implementing a new front power unit for the 2025 Prologue to both boost the power output and improve the SUV’s range. The Prologue is sold with both single-motor/front-wheel-drive and dual-motor/all-wheel-drive setups. For the front-wheel-drive Prologue, the new electric motor has resulted in an eight-horsepower bump to a total of 220 horsepower. Torque is also up to 243 pound-feet, a seven-pound-foot increase. Despite being more potent, the Prologue also travels farther on a charge, with the front-wheel-drive variant gaining an additional 12 miles of range, pushing the total range figure to 308 miles.HondaThe new motor has also brought a higher output for the all-wheel-drive variants, which add 12 horsepower for a total of 300 ponies and 25 pound-feet of torque for a total of 355 pound-feet. Range has also increased, with the EX and Touring trim adding 13 miles for a 294-mile range and the Elite trim’s range increasing by 10 miles to a total of 283 miles.The 2025 Prologue will start at $48,850 for the base EX model in front-wheel-drive form, only $55 more than last year. The Touring trim starts at $53,150 for the front-wheel-drive powertrain, and upgrading to all-wheel drive for the EX or Touring will see the price rise by $3000. The top-of-the-line Elite trim is available exclusively with all-wheel drive and starts at $59,350. Honda also says that all 2025 Prologues are eligible for the $7500 federal tax credit for EVs. More on Honda EVsCaleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan. More

Mercedes-Benz has teased a new electric luxury van that will be revealed in spring 2025. Mercedes has already said the unnamed mid-size van will be sold in the United States.Based on the new modular VAN.EA platform, Mercedes says this will help the brand differentiate personal vans from commercial ones.UPDATE 3/3/25: Mercedes has released a new photo teasing a soon-to-debut Vision V concept. It will preview a new luxury version from the brand’s forthcoming lineup of electric vans. They will be based on the modular VAN.EA platform, which will spawn a range of variants starting in 2026.Mercedes-Benz is developing a new generation of electric vans, including a luxury model that’s coming to America. The German automaker today released a teaser photo of the new van, which should be more upscale than the now-defunct Metris and will debut in spring 2025.Mercedes-BenzThe new Mercedes vans will be based on the modular VAN.EA platform that the company detailed more than a year ago. Basically, it will be the foundation of all forthcoming personal and commercial vans, and it was designed to help better differentiate between the two use cases. Mercedes says VAN.EA is scalable, allowing multiple wheelbase lengths as well as various battery capacities. The EV vans will be available with front- or all-wheel drive.Mercedes-BenzCircling back to the yet-to-be-named luxury van, Mercedes previously confirmed that it would make it to our shores when it revealed the new electrical architecture. While the company today shared very few other details about it, the mid-size van that’s designed for personal use will offer different levels of appointments. Those will include everything from a fancy family hauler to a C-suite shuttle to a roomy limo that would make Burt Reynolds proud.Mercedes-BenzMercedes-BenzMercedes has said its next generation of vans will arrive in 2026. While we’ll have to wait a few months for them to be revealed, earlier this year, the automaker released photos of a prototype testing, albeit one that was heavily disguised.More on Mercedes VansEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More