In today's issue:

A shared brake module just turned a GM problem into a components problem: Honda and Acura owners built on the same eBoost hardware are now inside an investigation most of them never heard of, in GM's second active Engineering Analysis this week alone.

XPeng Spins Off Its Robot Business at a $6.3 Billion Valuation: XPeng's robotics unit raised over $900 million in its first funding round, with $600 million from external investors including IDG Capital, Alibaba, Tencent and Gaorong Ventures, per CnEVPost and Electrek. XPeng calls it the largest single-round private financing in China's embodied-AI sector, before its IRON humanoid has shipped a commercial unit. #analyst

Following up on Canada's Tariff Deal Died at Midnight: Now It's 50%: The US imposed 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods, including steel, wine and cement, after talks collapsed August 21 over medium- and heavy-duty truck relief, per Motor1. Canada will retaliate dollar-for-dollar starting September 8, per Carscoops. Correction: this originally said the tranche covered vehicles; it didn't. The Section 232 auto tariff stayed at 25% until Trump's Aug. 24 threat to raise it to 50% on Jan. 1, 2027. #analyst

GM Locks In a Canadian Labor Deal Days After the Tariff Truce Fell Apart: GM and Unifor reached tentative agreements covering 4,600 Canadian auto workers, including a separate CAMI agreement tied to the idled facility's future, per CBT News. The timing lands GM more labor certainty just as cross-border trade turns hostile again. #analyst

The Average New Car Is Now Just $145 Shy of $50,000: Average transaction price hit $49,855 in July, a 1.9% year-over-year increase and the highest monthly figure recorded in 2026, according to Kelley Blue Book data cited by Autoblog. Sales volume fell 1.5% over the same period as prices climbed. #market

Mitsubishi Sets a Sept. 2 Date for the Pajero's Return: The fifth-generation Pajero, sold as Montero in some markets, debuts globally September 2 with body-on-frame construction and modern passenger tech, per Automotive News Europe and Car and Driver. North America won't get it until closer to 2030, per Car and Driver. #enthusiast

The Last Manual Lamborghini V12 Is Headed to Auction: A Murcielago Superveloce with three pedals represents the final manual-equipped V12 Lamborghini ever built before the brand moved to paddle shifters exclusively, per The Drive. #culture

Spyker Comes Back From the Dead With an 800-HP Manual Supercar: The Spyker C8 Preliator XXV Coupe debuted at The Quail during Monterey Car Week with an Audi-sourced V8, a manual gearbox, and rose-gold trim, marking the historic Dutch brand's official relaunch, per autoevolution. #enthusiast

Ford's 64th Recall of the Year Traces to a 30-Minute Production Window: The 2026 Ford Explorer is recalled after EcoBoost engine failures linked to connecting-rod issues were traced to a specific half-hour production run, per Autoblog. Ford now leads all automakers in recall count for the year. → If you own one: Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov and contact your dealer if you notice unusual engine noise or a check-engine light.

Honda Faces a Second Class Action Over the Same Camera Defect: A new class action filed by a Virginia plaintiff alleges Honda's front sensor camera fails and disables Honda Sensing features, covering the 2018-2025 Odyssey and Pilot, 2022-2025 Civic, 2023-2025 HR-V, and 2018-2021 Clarity Plug-in Hybrid, per Autoblog. It's the second Honda Sensing camera suit in days; we covered the first, a five-model class action, Friday.

Range Rover Preps a Sedan-Like Electric Crossover Called GT: The all-electric GT will slot beside the Evoque, Velar, Sport and flagship as Range Rover's fifth model line, launching EV-only with a hybrid possibly following, per Carscoops.

Toyota's Next MR2 Might Skip the Toyota Badge Entirely: The revived mid-engine coupe is targeted for 2028 with a 2.0-liter turbo making 400-450 hp, and could carry standalone Gazoo Racing branding instead, per Carscoops.

Bentley's First EV Gets a Merino Wool Interior: The Torcal will feature Bentley's first-ever use of Merino wool inside a production car, made with British clothmaker Fox Brothers, per Automotive News Europe.

Yesterday's picks

Stellantis May Scrap a Historic Plant While GM Signs a New Deal Down the Road: Stellantis is considering the total closure and sale of its idled Brampton Assembly Plant in Ontario, bypassing formal written notice and instead giving Unifor an informal heads-up, per Autoblog.

Chinese Brands Beat Their Whole 2025 in Europe by July: Chinese brands sold 813,096 vehicles in Europe from January to July, passing their 812,452 for all of 2025, and took a record 11.2% share in July against 5.6% a year earlier, per Dataforce figures cited by Automotive News Europe. The growth is led by plug-in hybrids, up 201%, and full hybrids, up 137%, the powertrains the EU's 2024 tariff on Chinese EVs does not cover. That is the gap we wrote about when Europe started coming for Chinese plug-in hybrids, and Brussels is now considering extending the tariff to cover them.

Tesla Sets a Cybercab Launch Date: Tesla has started sending invitations for a dedicated Cybercab launch event in Austin on September 3, per Teslarati. The two-seat Cybercab has no steering wheel and no pedals, and is built to run in the Robotaxi fleet alongside the Model Y, which has carried driverless passengers for more than a year.

Worth a listen

One episode from Car Curious, our sister car-podcast platform, picked out of everything the shows published in the last day.

If You Have Any Car Question, We Will Answer It Live Call Us (Under The Hood show): The hosts field live caller questions about cooling fans, oil viscosity, and maintenance costs, explaining counterintuitive design choices like how modern fans shut off at highway speeds to reduce engine drain.

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