New Car Version

A Tiny Van With Big Presence

Kei cars aren't making headlines in the US, and there's a good reason for that: they're not legal on the road in most states. But if the world flipped over and suddenly we found ourselves eligible to buy or at least import one stateside, I'd choose this – the Mitsubishi Delica Mini. Its award-winning restyled version made its debut at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show alongside the Elavance Concept, and it's one of those little vans that feels much larger than its size suggests.

At a glance, it looks like a miniaturized adventure van – squat, square, and proud of it. It's the kind of design that doesn't try too hard to be cute, yet somehow ends up being endearing. The chunky bumpers, upright stance, and color combinations give it a playful, outdoorsy character that sets it apart from the urban Kei crowd.

Mitsubishi calls the Delica Mini an "active and reliable partner," and it lives up to that promise by feeling more like a lifestyle tool than just another compact city car.

Small Package, Big Personality

The new Delica Mini is part of Mitsubishi's full model change for its super-height kei wagons, launched alongside the eK Space. But while the latter leans toward comfort and practicality, the Delica Mini taps into the brand's off-road DNA. It borrows the adventurous spirit of its bigger sibling, the Delica D:5 – the go-anywhere minivan that's practically an icon in Japan. That kinship gives the Mini a tougher image than most kei cars, and it's more than looks.

Buyers seem to agree. Even before its official launch on October 29, the Delica Mini had collected over 10,000 preorders, more than double Mitsubishi's monthly target. Over half of those are 4WD models, which says a lot about who's buying them – people who plan to use them beyond the city. The most popular trim, the feature-rich Delimaru Package, accounts for nearly 70 percent of orders. And with its high-quality interior, Google-integrated infotainment, and raised stance, it's easy to see why.

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Beyond Pavement, Beyond Expectations

The Delica Mini isn't just pretending to be tough. It's already proven itself as a support vehicle at the Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR), showing it can handle more than mall parking lots. That's an unusual flex for a Kei car, but it fits Mitsubishi's pitch of building "an evolved, active, and dependable companion."

Add in its Good Design Award Best 100 recognition, and the Delica Mini isn't just a cute novelty – it's a genuine product of thoughtful design and purpose. If Kei cars ever made their way stateside, this little van would be among the first to win people over. It's small, but it's got presence — the kind that makes you smile every time you see it.

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Betting on an eyes-off future

General Motors is betting that by 2028, you won’t need to look at the road. At its recent GM Forward event in New York, the automaker laid out an ambitious roadmap for the next few years — one that includes a fully “hands-off, eyes-off” driving system, conversational AI, and even vehicle-to-grid energy sharing. The first model to showcase this futuristic tech? The all-electric Cadillac Escalade IQ.

From hands-free to eyes-free

GM’s Super Cruise system already allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel on more than 600,000 miles of mapped highways in North America, and the company says it has logged over 700 million hands-free miles without a single crash attributed to the technology. However, by 2028, GM aims to take things further, enabling drivers to glance away from the road while the car handles everything.

The upgraded system will use LiDAR, radar, and cameras built directly into the Escalade IQ’s design. When active, turquoise lighting will illuminate across the dashboard and mirrors, signaling that the vehicle is in control.

That would move GM’s tech from Level 2 to Level 3 automation — meaning the car, not the driver, is responsible for safety in certain conditions. Currently, only Mercedes-Benz offers a similar Level 3 system in the U.S., and it’s approved for use in just two states.

Cars that talk back

Autonomy isn’t the only leap GM is promising. Starting next year, its cars will feature conversational AI powered by Google Gemini. Drivers will be able to ask natural questions — like how one-pedal driving works or where to find the nearest coffee shop — and get relevant, contextual responses.

Eventually, GM plans to replace Google’s system with its own in-house AI assistant. This version will learn from the driver’s habits and the car’s data, fine-tuning itself over time. Honda previewed similar ideas earlier this year at CES, showing off “AI personalities” in its upcoming EV lineup. However, GM’s approach leans more toward utility — a virtual co-pilot that helps manage the car, rather than an artificial friend.

A brain for the car

Behind all this software is a major hardware overhaul. GM is developing a new centralized computing platform that will debut on the Escalade IQ in 2028. Today’s cars rely on hundreds of small microchips, each handling a specific function like climate control or window operation. The new setup consolidates everything — propulsion, steering, safety, and infotainment — into one high-speed computing core.

According to GM, the platform will deliver up to 35 times more AI performance, a thousand times more bandwidth, and ten times the over-the-air update capacity compared to current systems. It’s a move similar to what Rivian pioneered, and what Volkswagen bought into when it invested $5 billion in the EV startup earlier this year.

Final thoughts

Taken together, these technologies mark a shift in GM’s identity. The company known for V8 engines and chrome is repositioning itself around intelligence — cars that can think, communicate, and even power your house.

It’s a bold vision that hinges on public trust in automation and AI, both of which remain controversial. But if GM’s timeline holds, the next Cadillac Escalade might not just drive you somewhere — it might do so while you catch up on email.

The year was 2017, and Elon Musk had just taken the wraps off the second-generation Tesla Roadster. The Roadster’s specifications were stunning: 0-60 mph in under two seconds and 620 miles of range on a single charge. The best part? It was promised to hit the road by 2020. Thousands of buyers put down deposits ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 and began the hopeful wait. Seven and a half years later, the Roadster hasn’t even entered production yet, and most people aren’t able to get refunds.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently posted on how he tried cancelling his reservation in order to request a refund, but he wasn’t able to. The tech billionaire and former close friend of Elon Musk, who helped set up OpenAI, stated that even though he was really excited about the Roadster, seven and half years is a really long wait. Altman’s post going viral might’ve prompted Musk to drop hints on The Joe Rogan podcast that Tesla is working on a new version of the Roadster, which will be ready for the world to see before the end of the year. This sounds like something we’ve heard before though…

A tale in three acts: pic.twitter.com/ClRZBgT24g

— Sam Altman (@sama) October 30, 2025

The Roadster Refund Process is a Nightmare

Ever since first missing the 2020 deadline for Roadster deliveries, Musk has been promising that Roadster production would start in the coming year. At this point, it’s a bit of a running joke in some circles. Understandably, people want out. While Tesla’s website promised fully refundable deposits, many customers report that the reservation page has no cancellation option. Further, the email address and phone number don’t yield a response.

Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee previously documented his painful refund process, which was ultimately successful. So, though the road to Tesla Roadster refunds is difficult, it did seem like people were getting their money back. Sam Altman’s troubles with requesting a refund just seem to be a part of the process. 

New Roadster in Development for 2025 Unveiling?

While Musk saying a new version of the Roadster is being developed for an unveiling in 2025 may sound like a mere response to Altman’s post on social media, there may actually be some basis for it this time. Tesla recently posted its first job listing specifically for Roadster production, seeking a Manufacturing Engineer for battery manufacturing equipment, with the description noting the Roadster is still in its early development stages.

It’s been nearly a full decade since the original unveiling of the Roadster. While Tesla may play loose with deadlines, it looks like this time around, it may actually be true. If that’s the case, hopefully the people who’ve waited all these years for their Roadster will finally get the vindication they deserve.

In 2026, JLR is expected to launch the Range Rover Electric, but a far more exciting SUV is also coming: the facelifted Range Rover Sport SV. Over the course of this year, we've seen special editions based on the SV - the Range Rover Sport SV Celestial, the Range Rover Sport SV Carbon Edition, and the Range Rover Sport SV Black - and these have essentially foreshadowed the end of the current model, and now the new one is on the Nürburgring, and thanks to one small detail, it makes all those special editions look relatively subtle. While the current model has a quad-exit exhaust (two on either side of the diffuser), this new one will feature two centrally-mounted exhaust tips, and they are huge. The Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT uses a similar strategy to assert itself as the top dog in its range, and it's very effective.

Other Styling Changes For The 2027 Are Subtle

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This prototype seems to be the finished product, with only the camouflage to be removed, and at the front, the new Range Rover Sport SV will feature straight, uninterrupted vanes between the two headlights (though JLR may change this to match the current model). Lower down, the grilles and intakes look very similar to those of the current model, but the mesh is slightly different and more prominent. In addition, the lower central grille now has more vanes for the outlying scoops, but the side intakes and the grille in the middle of the fascia are all but unchanged. A chin spoiler also reappears. Moving backward, there are no obvious changes to the profile (the front fender accents that mimic extractor vents will reappear once the camo comes off), and yellow brake calipers make their return. At the rear, the taillights and their graphics don't exhibit any changes, but the roof spoiler now has holes on either side. Further down, the new exhaust setup is housed in a redesigned diffuser panel with four upright accent vanes on either side.

What To Expect Under The Hood

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As before, the BMW M-sourced S63 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine is expected to carry over, as is the eight-speed ZF automatic transmission that feeds all four wheels. The current model makes 626 horsepower and allows the super SUV to get to 60 mph from rest in 3.6 seconds, but it's unclear whether these figures will be improved on. Given the radical new exhaust, we hope they will, but this is still more than any BMW M car makes without hybrid assistance (617 hp, for the record). More information should trickle out of England in the coming months, with a full reveal late in 2026 or early in 2027.