In today's issue:
Ford quietly dropped the Coyote V8 from its premium F-150 trims, as Ram and GMC went the opposite way
CarGurus gives dealers until July 14 to disclose all fees or lose search ranking
Bentley's upcoming $200,000 electric SUV shows its hand in spy photos
THE QUIET DOWNGRADE
The 5.0-liter Coyote V8 has been dropped from the King Ranch and Platinum trims of the current F-150, per Autoblog; Ford's configurator now shows only the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 as the sole engine option in those grades.
The timing is conspicuous: Ram recently revived its HEMI V8, and Automotive News reported the redesigned 2027 GMC Sierra debuted with new 5.7L and 6.6L V8 options, putting Ford directly against both rivals without the engine buyers in this segment most associate with the brand.
King Ranch and Platinum sit at the top of the F-150's mainstream trim stack, well above $60,000 in typical transaction prices, making this a premium-segment decision, not a base-model cost cut.
Ford ranked No. 1 among mainstream brands in the 2026 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, per Automotive News, which gives it some credibility cushion, but dropping the V8 option from its two most expensive non-Raptor trims is the kind of move that only surfaces when someone checks the configurator.
EcoBoost buyers may not notice; V8 loyalists in the luxury-truck segment, a group that has historically shown strong brand stickiness at Ram and Chevy, now have one fewer reason to cross-shop Ford.
Ford made no announcement and offered no explanation. The configurator change is the only public record. Competitors are leaning into displacement; Ford is leaning away from it in the trims where the argument for premium pricing is hardest to win without the engine to match.
Also worth knowing
NHTSA Closes Tesla Power Steering Probe After OTA Fix: NHTSA formally ended its engineering analysis into power steering loss across approximately 376,241 2023 model-year Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, accepting Tesla's over-the-air software update as the complete remedy, per Basenor. The closure follows the established pattern: an OTA fix pushes overnight to the fleet, the agency accepts it, and no owner drives to a dealer; Tesla has now closed several federal safety investigations this way. #news
CarGurus Gives Dealers Until July 14 to Disclose All Fees: Beginning July 14, CarGurus will calculate its Instant Market Value rating and Deal Ratings using total advertised price, including all disclosed fees, per CBT News and Dealership Guy; listings without fee disclosure will be pushed lower in search results. Buyers searching for used cars on the platform will start seeing real all-in prices for the first time, closing the gap between listed price and the number on the contract. #market
Hyundai N's Next EVs Will Fake Engine Idle and Backfires: Hyundai N performance boss Manfred Harrer said the company is developing future IMA-platform N EVs to generate simulated idle vibrations and richer, more configurable backfire sounds, per The Korean Car Blog and Stick Shifting. The IONIQ 5 N already uses synthesized sound; the next generation will add seat vibration and more granular exhaust character. #enthusiast
Commerce Secretary Lutnick Delayed the Gordie Howe Bridge to Grab a Bigger Toll Cut: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick intervened to block the scheduled opening of the new Detroit-Windsor crossing and is pressing to renegotiate for a larger U.S. share of toll revenue, per Automotive News. The bridge is a critical auto-industry corridor: Ford alone makes engines in Windsor that supply its U.S. Midwest plants, per Crain's Detroit Business, and any delay to the Gordie Howe's opening keeps commercial freight concentrated on the aging, four-lane Ambassador Bridge. #analyst
Cadillac F1 Is Poaching Red Bull's Chief Engineer: Paul Monaghan, Red Bull Racing's chief engineer of car engineering, is effectively set to join Cadillac's F1 program, per Autosport and Autoweek; no formal resignation has been submitted yet, but Motorsport Week confirmed the move is decided. Monaghan is one of the longest-serving senior figures at Red Bull and the latest in a string of high-profile exits that have accelerated since Adrian Newey's departure. #analyst
Reveals & culture
Bentley's $200,000 Electric Barnato SUV Shows Its Interior: Spy photos of the 2028 Bentley Barnato reveal curved displays paired with traditional wood trim and real metal accents inside, per Carscoops. The electric crossover is expected to cost around $200,000 and share its platform with the Cayenne Electric, with a full reveal planned later this year.
Recalls & legal action
10,742 Ford F-150s Recalled for Gear Indicator That Can Display the Wrong Gear: NHTSA is recalling certain 2018 model year F-150 pickups because the transmission gear position indicator on the dashboard can display the incorrect gear, creating the risk of unexpected vehicle movement, per Pickup Truck Talk. → If you own one: Check NHTSA's recall database at nhtsa.gov using your VIN to confirm whether your truck is affected and schedule a dealer fix.
Quick links
BMW Schedules Fifth-Generation X5 Reveal for June 30: The 2027 X5 (codename G65) debuts Tuesday with Neue Klasse design cues; it will continue to be built at Spartanburg, South Carolina, per Autoblog and BMWBlog.
Yesterday's picks
2027 Hyundai Elantra Debuts Bigger Than a Honda Civic With an Entirely New Face: The eighth-generation Elantra debuted at the Busan Mobility Show, now larger than a Civic and wearing a completely new design under Hyundai's "Art of Steel" language.
JLR Stop-Sale: Defender, Discovery, and Range Rover Grounded Over Driver's Airbag Defect: A voluntary stop-sale on three models due to an airbag defect found in internal testing.
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