Electric cars news.

Lexus's First Three-Row EV

The TZ was first previewed as a concept in late 2021 and officially unveiled on May 7, 2026, under Lexus's "Driving Lounge" concept — an attempt, the company says, to balance a quiet, lounge-like three-row cabin with the responsive handling Lexus buyers expect. It shares its underlying e-TNGA platform with the upcoming Toyota Highlander BEV and Subaru's electric three-row (recently renamed Getaway), but Lexus is positioning the TZ as the more refined sibling, with retuned suspension, dynamic rear-wheel steering, and a reinforced body structure.

Despite launching after its Toyota and Subaru siblings were first shown, the TZ is arriving to US showrooms first, with initial deliveries beginning in late 2026.

Specifications and Pricing

Horsepower figures have varied across Lexus's own announcements as the TZ moved from reveal to production — early communications cited up to 402-420 hp combined, while some outlets now report a finalized 308 hp for the dual-motor TZ450e. Treat power output as provisional until Lexus publishes a final production spec sheet.

Design and Cabin

Lexus describes the TZ's exterior as "conveying strength" through an elongated silhouette, built around the brand's current design language — double L-shaped headlights, a spindle-style front, and an L-shaped rear lightbar. Aerodynamic details include flush door handles, aero mirrors, underbody fins, and air dams, all aimed at cutting wind noise and extending range.

Inside, the "Driving Lounge" concept centers on an open, quiet cabin: a panoramic glass roof with a wire-driven power sunshade designed to preserve headroom for third-row passengers, an adhesive-free seat assembly structure as part of Lexus's push toward more circular manufacturing, and the latest generation of Lexus Interface infotainment paired with Lexus Safety System+ 4.0 as standard equipment.

Where It Lands in the Market

At just over $64,000 to start, the TZ undercuts rivals like the Volvo EX90 ($78,090) while costing more than the Hyundai IONIQ 9 ($60,555) — positioning it as a mid-tier premium option among three-row electric SUVs rather than the cheapest or most expensive choice. Given its shared platform with the Toyota Highlander BEV, expected to start in the mid-$50,000 range, the roughly $10,000 premium buys the Lexus badge, the retuned chassis, and the extra cabin refinement Lexus is emphasizing.

With pricing now locked in and deliveries beginning before the end of 2026, the TZ becomes Lexus's clearest answer yet to the three-row luxury EV segment — leaning on shared Toyota Group bones but wrapping them in enough brand-specific engineering and cabin theater, down to a fake V10 soundtrack, to make the case for paying extra over its mechanical siblings.

Four years in the making

Ceer was set up in 2022 as a joint venture between Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Foxconn, the Taiwanese contract manufacturer best known for assembling iPhones. The name means roughly "drive forward" in Arabic, and the brand sits at the centre of Vision 2030's push to build a domestic automotive industry rather than simply import one.

The EXOBOT pair are Ceer's first production vehicles and will be built at the Ceer Manufacturing Complex in King Abdullah Economic City, which the company describes as the Middle East's largest car plant. They are the first two of seven models planned by 2030, with the later cars expected to move down into compact and midsize segments with a wider mix of powertrains.

Design: a wedge with a message

Nobody will mistake the EXOBOT for anything else on the road. Both body styles share a razor-sharp wedge profile, a thin horizontal light signature and a 2.4-metre windscreen raked at just 15 degrees. Ceer says the shapes draw on desert landscapes and the Nabataean rock architecture of Hegra.

The party piece is the Shahin Wing Doors, named after the falcon. Each door is almost three metres long, swings upward through a compact 60 cm arc and opens both rows at once. The lighting uses 32 elements — a nod to 1932, the year the Kingdom was unified.

These are big cars. Both ride on a 3,200 mm wheelbase and are about 2.1 metres wide, with the sedan stretching to 5.26 metres and the SUV to 5.02 metres.

Powertrain, range and charging

Launch versions — badged First Edition and Plus — use a tri-motor all-wheel-drive setup rated at 850 hp and 1,000 Nm, fed by a 112 kWh NCM battery on an 800V electrical architecture. DC fast charging peaks at 250 kW, good for 10–80% in under 30 minutes, while AC charging runs at 11 kW.

Ceer has also announced a higher-output configuration with 1,111 hp and 1,500 Nm, though it has not yet said which trim will carry it.

EXOBOT sedan vs SUV: key figures

Built for Gulf roads — and Gulf summers

Both models get dual-chamber air suspension, rear-wheel steering and steer-by-wire operated through a yoke. Ceer says the system cuts lock-to-lock steering input from around 400 degrees to 160.

Heat management gets unusual attention. A Halo Cooling system is claimed to bring a 65 °C cabin down to 32 °C in ten minutes, helped by triple silver-coated glass and cooled storage in the console and boot. The lower door glass can switch between clear and opaque at the press of a button. 

Cabin tech highlights

• Main display: 48-inch 8K pillar-to-pillar "Digital Horizon" screen
• Controls: 10.4-inch central touchscreen, 8-inch rear display, physical keys for gear, climate and volume
• Assistant: Arabic and English voice control, 3D navigation with EV route planning
• Comfort: four-zone climate, ventilated front and rear seats, fragrance system
• Safety: seven airbags, AEB, adaptive cruise with lane centring, surround-view cameras, remote parking
• Coming via OTA by 2028: automatic lane changes, Highway and Traffic Jam Pilot, Navigate on Pilot

First Edition, warranty and timing

The range opens with the EXOBOT First Edition, finished in Harrat Grey or White Musk with black detailing, red calipers and a black-and-red Nappa cabin. Each car carries a numbered plaque tied to its VIN. The more configurable EXOBOT Plus follows.

Ownership terms are generous: a six-year/200,000 km vehicle warranty, eight-year/200,000 km battery cover, six years of servicing and roadside assistance, plus up to SAR 2,000 towards a home charger. Pricing has not been announced. Saudi deliveries are expected from early 2027, with neighbouring markets following from 2028. There is no word on Europe or the US.

Why it matters

For the Gulf, the EXOBOT is as much an industrial statement as a car. Ceer is targeting 45% locally sourced materials by 2034, and its success will be a test of whether sovereign money and Foxconn's manufacturing know-how can create a credible new automaker from scratch — something Western startups have found brutally hard.

Ceer has opened with a halo car rather than a volume seller. The EXOBOT proves Saudi Arabia can design something bold; the harder test comes when the compact models arrive and have to compete on price with BYD, Geely and the rest of a crowded Gulf EV market.

A Long Time Coming

The Range Rover Electric's waitlist opened back in late 2023 and drew more than 61,000 names, but JLR pushed the on-sale date from its original late-2025 target into 2026. The delay was blamed partly on softer global EV demand and partly on a severe cyberattack that hit JLR's production systems starting August 31, 2025, halting manufacturing worldwide for over a month and contributing to a reported £559 million quarterly loss.

Now built alongside its combustion siblings at JLR's Solihull plant in the UK, the electric Range Rover is finally shipping — and JLR is positioning it not as a stripped-down EV variant, but as, in the company's words, the most accomplished Range Rover it has ever built.

Specifications

How Its Range Stacks Up

The Range Rover Electric's headline number — a nearly 120 kWh battery — is genuinely huge, but its EPA range doesn't lead the luxury electric SUV pack. Rivals with smaller or similarly sized packs post longer estimated ranges, a sign of how much efficiency still separates a legacy automaker's first EV platform from purpose-built rivals.

What's New, What's Familiar

Visually, JLR kept changes subtle. The Electric is nearly indistinguishable from the fifth-generation combustion Range Rover that launched in late 2021 — a slipperier grille and new alloy wheels are about the extent of the exterior redesign, together trimming the drag coefficient by just 0.01 Cd. The cabin carries over largely unchanged too, aside from EV-specific graphics with AI-assisted range prediction and over-the-air battery updates.

Where JLR clearly did put in the work is refinement: the electric model runs about 7 dBA quieter under full throttle than the V8, and the brand is leaning hard into "Rolls-Royce-like" hush as a selling point over outright EV specs.

Pros

• Genuine V8-rivaling power (405 kW) with none of the combustion noise or vibration
• Massive 118.5 kWh battery and 350 kW charging keep road-trip stops reasonable
• Full Range Rover capability retained, including 35-inch wading depth
• Priced close to the V8 Autobiography rather than at a steep EV premium
• 61,000+ pre-orders show strong demand despite the delay

Cons

• EPA range trails newer rivals like the Escalade IQ and Lucid Gravity by well over 100 miles
• Arrives roughly five years after Range Rover first previewed electrification plans
• Exterior and interior design carry over almost unchanged from the combustion model

The Range Rover Electric isn't trying to win a range or efficiency contest — it's betting that buyers who already want a Range Rover will pay for one that's quieter, just as capable off-road, and finally electric. Whether that's enough against faster-charging, longer-range rivals will become clear as the first deliveries reach customers.

    McMurtry Unveils Production Speirling PURE: A $1.3M Electric Fan Car That Can Drive Upside Down

   McMurtry has officially revealed the production version of its groundbreaking Speirling electric hypercar. Known as the Speirling PURE, this limited-edition machine uses powerful underbody fans to generate massive downforce, allowing it to "suck" itself to the track for exceptional grip—even enough to theoretically drive upside down.
   The fan system, a modern take on a banned 1970s racing concept, creates up to 2,000 kg of downforce at standstill. Combined with traditional aerodynamics, it enables the car to pull 3 lateral G’s in corners or under braking. This solves the "traction-limited" problem plaguing high-power EVs.

Key Specs (Speirling PURE) 

Power: 1,000 hp (dual rear motors, RWD)
Weight: 1,350 kg (2,980 lbs)
Battery: 100 kWh
0-60 mph: 1.55 seconds
Top Speed: 190 mph
Downforce: 2,000 kg at 0 mph

   The production model is larger and heavier than the record-setting prototype (which weighed just 1,050 kg with a 60 kWh pack), but it remains brutally fast. Track range is estimated at 25-31 miles (40-50 km) at high pace. Recharging from 20-95% takes 20-60 minutes depending on conditions.
The Speirling has already dominated events like the Goodwood Festival of Speed hillclimb, Top Gear test track, and Laguna Seca, smashing records previously held by F1 cars and other top machines. It looks and performs like a slot car on a real road.
   Only 100 units will be built in the Cotswolds, England. Each offers extensive customization. The car includes a custom-molded seat (fits drivers up to 6’7”), minimal storage for a helmet, and optional air conditioning. McMurtry will support owners with track days, training, and events through its Owners Club. It’s eligible for several time-attack and GT series.
   Deliveries begin later in 2026 at a price of £995,000 (approx. $1.3 million or €1.15 million). Interested buyers can register on McMurtry’s website.
   You’ll be able to see the production Speirling PURE on display at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed (July 9-12) and The Quail in California (August 14).

This is one of the most extreme electric performance cars ever made—pure engineering madness for the lucky few who can afford it.