Aurelia Butler

The Rolls-Royce Spectre has a new Black Badge variant that adds 73 horsepower, making it the most powerful Rolls ever. The additional power is accessible with a new Infinity drive mode, while a new Spirited mode enables launch control. Rolls-Royce claims that client demand for a sportier Spectre prompted the creation of a secret fleet of early Black Badge models.The most powerful Rolls-Royce to ever saunter down the motorways is here and isn’t powered by a silky-smooth V-12. Instead, the crown goes to the new Black Badge version of the Rolls-Royce Spectre electric coupe. The legendary automaker has been using the Black Badge moniker to denote its high-performance models for nearly a decade, but the Spectre is the first EV to get the title.As with the standard Spectre (if anything about the Spectre can be called standard), the Black Badge comes with all-wheel drive and a pair of electric motors. The standard car’s 577 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque are more than enough to hustle the grand two-door down the boulevard, and the performance version should be even quicker, as it packs 650 horsepower and 793 pound-feet of torque.The maximum number of horses is only accessible via the new Infinity driving mode that improves accelerator response and gives the gauge display a sportier arrangement. The max torque comes into play with a new Spirited drive mode that essentially acts as a launch-control system. The mode is engaged by pressing the brake and accelerator to the floor at the same time, waiting for the go-ahead from the car, and then letting it rip. Rolls says that the increase in power and the launch system mean the Spectre Black Badge can sprint to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds, but considering we managed just 3.7 seconds in our testing of the standard car, we expect the performance model to do even better.To “inspire clients to wield the unprecedented power of Black Badge Spectre with confidence,” Rolls-Royce engineers increased the steering weight and fiddled with the dampers to reduce body roll and squatting under acceleration.We’re not sure exactly how much Rolls-Royce is asking for the Black Badge version of its EV coupe, but we imagine it’s a sizable increase compared with the 2025 Spectre’s $422,750 starting price.More on the RR SpectreJack 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

The Chevy Camaro’s revival is reportedly being considered at GM, but those plans recently hit a roadblack, per GM Authority.Despite the support of some GM executives, a proposal for a seventh-gen Camaro didn’t make enough financial sense to impress the top brass.The sixth-gen Camaro was discontinued after the 2024 model year, but Chevy promised the nameplate would live on.The Chevy Camaro might not have sold very well during the last few years before the sixth generation was finally laid to rest, but it still has a passionate fan base. Unsurprisingly, some of the Camaro’s most ardent supporters still work for GM, including some executives. A group has reportedly been working on a proposal to revive the iconic pony car for its seventh generation, but that initiative recently hit a roadblock, according to a report by GM Authority.Citing unnamed sources familiar with the situation, a group of people at GM came up with a business case to resurrect the Camaro. The plan was reportedly supported by some of the company’s executives, but apparently it wasn’t strong enough to convince the top brass to give the project the green light. A source told GM Authority that the project’s outlook is “dimmer,” but it’s still being considered, so it’s not completely dead. ChevroletWhat would it take for the decision-makers to say yes to a new Camaro? While those details are unclear, it is clear that the outgoing generation’s poor sales were part of the reason it was discontinued. Obviously, the next-gen Camaro will need a viable path to profitability to move forward. An earlier report by GM Authority claimed a big priority is making the next car more “affordable and attainable.” If that becomes possible, perhaps we’ll see the Ford Mustang’s archrival return to the road.It’s worth noting that when Chevy announced it would stop building the Camaro after the 2024 model year, the bowtie brand left the door open for a successor. It promised that the nameplate would live on and a replacement would be announced in the future. While it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen anytime soon, at least it sounds like some people at GM are still trying to make a next-gen Chevy Camaro a reality.Relive the Camaro’s RivalriesEric 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

The Volvo XC60 and its plug-in-hybrid twin, the XC60 Hybrid, have been refreshed for the 2026 model year. Both models have identical redesigned front ends, with the grille taking after the larger XC90 SUV’s new look.The interior adds a larger touchscreen that Volvo says is more than twice as fast as the outgoing system.Following a reserved 2025 model year that saw no changes, Volvo’s set of XC60 compact luxury SUVs gets a facelift. Changes are identical between the gas-powered and plug-in-hybrid models, with the updates focused on exterior styling and interior technology. The exterior styling tweaks are subtle enough, but they bring the XC60 more in line with Volvo’s flagship XC90, which was updated last year. The front grille now uses the same diagonal motif, highlighting Volvo’s iron mark logo on the grille. Changes at the rear of the SUV are even harder to spot, with the Scandinavian brand simply darkening the taillight shroud. The new look is capped off with new wheel options and a trio of paint colors that includes Forest Lake, Aurora Silver, and Mulberry Red.Unsurprisingly, changes to the interior similarly follow those bestowed on the XC90 last year. The highlight is the inclusion of a new 11.2-inch touchscreen, which replaces the XC60’s outgoing 9.0-inch unit. Volvo says the new screen’s pixel density is 21 percent better than the outgoing screen. More important than the new hardware is the improved software. The XC60 gets Qualcomm’s updated Snapdragon Cockpit software, which is claimed to be more than twice as fast as the outgoing system. The result should be a more responsive touchscreen.The refreshed XC60 is already available to order in select markets, though North America does not seem to be part of that yet. Volvo confirmed to Car and Driver that the reveal was for the global market and we’ll need to wait a bit longer for U.S. pricing and availability. If the XC90 can be used as a bellwether for pricing, we don’t expect the facelift to cause either the XC60 or the XC60 Hybrid to jump too far from their respective $48,345 and $59,345 starting prices.More on the XC60Jack 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