In today's issue:

This is the second-best-selling vehicle in America, and two brand-new V8s are the loudest signal yet that the electric-truck push has stalled. Ram canceled its all-electric 1500 and brought the Hemi back; Ford scrapped its pure-electric Lightning for a gas-generator version. Chevy isn't betting against the segment so much as confirming where it already went. The numbers Chevy is still holding back will tell us how confident it really is.

Mercedes-AMG Drops a Flat-Plane V8 in the GLE63 and GLS63: AMG gave its three-row family SUVs a motorsport-style flat-plane-crank V8, the M177 EVO, rated at 450 kW (603 hp) and 627 lb-ft, per the Mercedes-Benz pressroom; the 612 figure in some coverage is the same output in metric PS, not extra power. Top speed is 174 mph, and AMG wants to grow sales to 200,000 a year by 2030, a roughly 40% increase, per Autoline Daily. A flat-plane crank is exotic-car hardware in a family hauler, a bet that buyers at this price still want the engine to feel like an event. #enthusiast

Jeep Brings Back the Trailhawk, Quietly Buries the PHEV: The 2027 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk returns with claimed best-in-class off-road capability, but the 4xe plug-in hybrid powertrain it previously required is gone, per Autoblog; Grand Cherokee sales hit 53,482 units in Q1 2026, a 10% jump year-over-year, per the Stellantis pressroom, confirming the nameplate doesn't need the PHEV to move metal. #enthusiast

Used Inventory Up 4%, Prices Still at a Three-Year High: Used-vehicle supply grew 4% month-over-month to 2.12 million units in May, yet average listing prices held at $26,918, the highest since mid-2023, per CBT News; retail used sales fell 3.9% year-over-year, meaning more cars are sitting on lots at higher prices with fewer buyers, a classic affordability standoff. #market

Three stories this week point the same direction. Ford wants Washington's permission to keep selling a Lincoln it builds in China. The EU ratified a US trade framework that left tariffs on cars unresolved. VW is shedding 28,000 jobs to claw its costs down. The common gravity is China: Western automakers are sourcing from it, walling against it, and restructuring to survive its prices, sometimes all at once. The open question is whether the walls buy the incumbents time or just raise their own costs while Chinese EVs keep getting cheaper.

Ford Asks Washington for a Waiver to Keep Selling Its China-Built Lincoln: Ford has applied to the U.S. Commerce Department for authorization to keep importing the Lincoln Nautilus, which is assembled in China with U.S.-developed software installed there, per CBT News and Just Auto; new rules banning Chinese-installed software in connected vehicles take effect with the 2027 model year, and hardware restrictions follow in 2030. #analyst

EU Parliament Ratifies U.S. Trade Deal, 440 to 151: The European Parliament voted 440-151 to approve a trade framework with the U.S. ahead of a Trump-set deadline, per Automotive News Europe; the German auto lobby welcomed the vote but noted tariff issues on cars remain unresolved, the detail that matters most to anyone building or selling cars. #analyst

VW Sheds 28,000 Jobs as German Factory Costs Fall 20%: Volkswagen's restructuring program is on schedule through 2030, with more than 28,000 employee departures agreed and German factory costs already cut 20%, per Automotive News Europe; the cuts are the price of staying competitive as Chinese EVs undercut European incumbents. #analyst

Car and Driver Drives (What Could Be) the Reborn Toyota MR2: Toyota let Car and Driver pilot the mid-engine M Concept prototype, the closest thing to a new MR2 the company has shown in decades; the piece describes it as "very much a work in progress," which is exactly the kind of hedge that usually means the production decision isn't final yet. #enthusiast

Lotus Cut a Hole in the Emira's Roof and Made It Faster: The Emira 420 Sport is the lightest and most powerful Emira yet, with a removable roof panel that converts it to an open-top car, per Autoblog and Jalopnik. It's also the last combustion Lotus before the brand goes all-electric, which makes the lightest, fastest version of it either a fitting send-off or a preview of what the EVs will have to replace. #enthusiast

BMW iX5 to Pack a 144 kWh Battery, Dwarfing the Porsche Cayenne Electric's 113 kWh: The 2027 BMW iX5 M60 makes 570 hp from BMW's largest-ever production battery pack, with a hydrogen variant following in 2028, per Carscoops.

Tesla Cybercab EPA Documents: 3,113 lbs, 219 HP, 418-Mile Unadjusted Range: EPA certification documents confirm a 48 kWh battery, 163 kW motor, and a 418-mile unadjusted range figure for the no-steering-wheel Cybercab, per Electrek.

New Audi A6 Allroad Debuts 11 cm Wider, With RS6-Style Fenders and Rear-Axle Steering: The fifth-generation A6 Allroad adds adaptive air suspension, up-to-21-inch wheels, and rear-wheel steering up to five degrees, per The Drive and Carscoops.

Yesterday's picks

Honda Recalls 1M+ Accord Hybrids and CR-Vs Over a Tire Repair Kit That Has Injured 8 People: Over 1M vehicles recalled; eight injuries from ruptured sealant bottle.

EV Incentives Hit 14% in May as Rate-Cut Expectations Cooled: EV discounts double industry average; May CPI dampens rate-cut hopes.

Nissan Will Build Chinese Brand Chery's Cars at Its Sunderland Plant: Nissan becomes contract manufacturer for Chery at underutilized UK plant.