Max Verstappen won a wild, rain-soaked Formula 1 sprint in Singapore. George Russell crashed out of the lead and the two McLarens hit each other. Away from the track, VW showed the electric Tiguan that will replace the ID.4, and Europe looks set to weaken its 2035 CO₂ target again.
Your first stop for car news: the quick version here, plus a button on every story that takes you straight to the original report.
Motorsport
Chaos under the lights.
Singapore Sprint
Verstappen wins a chaotic Singapore sprint.
Russell got past Verstappen at the start, then hit the wall at the last corner of lap 1, which handed the lead back to Max. Hamilton finished second and Leclerc third, a double podium for Ferrari. Norris spun Piastri at Turn 5, dropping him to 14th, a lap down. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, and Russell now trails him by 89 points.
P1
Verstappen
P2 · P3
Ferrari double podium
89 pts
Antonelli’s lead over Russell
New Models & EVs
Tiguan. Now electric.
The new ID. Tiguan replaces both the ID.4 and the ID.5. It will replace the ID.4 in North America after the European rollout, but VW hasn’t given US specs or pricing yet.
372 mi
Range, up to (WLTP)
299 hp
Max power (AWD)
77 kWh
Battery (58 kWh base)
€42.7K
Starting price, Europe
BYD
The $10K Seagull gets bigger.
BYD has opened pre-orders for a larger version of its cheapest EV. The Seagull is the car that worries Western automakers most on price.
Industry & Policy
The rules are changing.
European Union
The EU may loosen its EV rules again.
According to Clean Energy Wire, France and Germany have agreed to cut the 2035 new-car CO₂ target from a 90% reduction to 80%. That would let combustion cars stay on sale past 2035. The two countries are due to present the plan on October 15.
Tesla
“Full Self-Driving” gets a new name in Europe.
The system is now called “Tesla Assisted Driving” in Europe, after Germany’s transport ministry said the old name was misleading. In return, Germany will support Tesla’s bid for EU-wide approval.
Audi
The A8 is out in Europe. A Porsche-built successor may come.
European orders have stopped, though the A8 stays on sale in the US through the 2027 model year. According to German press reports, a future A8 could be built alongside the Panamera in Leipzig with V6 and V8 plug-in hybrids, but not before 2030.
California
The Montana LLC loophole is closed.
Buyers of exotic cars can no longer avoid California sales tax by registering their supercars to LLCs in Montana.
Culture
Brass, but golden.
Broad Arrow · Audrain Auction
$1.875M
A 1914 Stutz Bearcat tops the sale.
The brass-era Bearcat led Broad Arrow’s first Audrain auction. A Ferrari 430 Scuderia, a McLaren 765LT Spider and a 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T Hemi were also among the top sellers.
Sources
- Formula1.com: Verstappen wins rain-hit Singapore Sprint
- Electrek: VW ID. Tiguan
- Electrek: BYD Seagull pre-orders
- Electrek: EU may loosen EV rules
- Electrek: Tesla renames FSD in Europe
- autoevolution: Audi A8
- Autoweek: Montana loophole
- Old Cars Weekly: Broad Arrow Audrain results
Image credits: Header image is an AI-generated illustration, not a photo of the race. Volkswagen ID.4 GTX by Alexander Migl via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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