MotorIllustrated

05/29/2026

Gas at $2.50 a litre this summer? An ExxonMobil executive just laid out how we get there.

Speaking at a New York investor conference, Exxon's Neil Chapman said global oil inventories will hit record lows within two to three weeks. Once they bottom out, he expects Brent crude to spike from roughly US$94 a barrel toward US$150–160.

Run that through the usual rule of thumb — every US$1 move in Brent adds about 0.7 to 0.9 cents at Canadian pumps — and a $1.90 national average climbs toward $2.35–$2.50. That number is unofficial, and it assumes refining margins hold. In past crunches they've widened, which only pushes it higher.

The national average already sits near 192.8 cents, even with the federal excise holiday shaving 10 cents off. Yukon drivers are paying $2.10. The $2 mark isn't a question anymore. One analyst now calls it a probability rather than a possibility.
Is $2.50 the number that finally moves you to a hybrid or EV? Or do you ride it out?

Exxon’s Neil Chapman warns oil inventories hit record lows in 2 to 3 weeks. He projects dated Brent spiking to US$150 to $160 per barrel. Estimated Canadian impact: roughly $2.35 to $2.50 a litre, unofficial. ExxonMobil told investors Thursday that global oil inventories will fall to record lows w...

05/29/2026

GMC just built a Hummer you can't buy, and that's kind of the point.

The HUMMER X is a pair of concepts, one SUV and one pickup, that shrink the Hummer down to mid-size and reimagine it as a modular electric rock crawler. Flat-topped bodywork, radiused edges, laser-welded seams, visible precision bolts, beadlock wheels, removable fender flares, and 35-to-37-inch Goodyears on Multimatic shocks.

The wild part is how it's built: a tool-less metal process GM calls FLEX FAB, basically 3D printing for sheet metal, makes up 57% of the vehicle. There's also a scout drone that flies ahead, reads the trail, and docks itself.

It's a testbed, not a production model. Wildest detail you've spotted?

05/28/2026

An Argentinian author wrote a sequel to The Little Prince. Then he commissioned Bugatti to build a one-off W16 Mistral inspired by his own novel.

It started in October 2023 with a meeting in Molsheim — colour samples, sketches, two and a half years of conversations. The result: a copper bronze paint job meant to evoke moonlit Earth, with silver stars layered into the lacquer across the doors and rear quarters. Not decals. Built into the paint. The rear wing reveals an interpretation of the prince and the fox when the airbrake deploys.

Inside: Terre d'Or and Driftwood leather, embroidered moons and constellations, and a silver rose 3D-scanned from a real flower, then sculpted into the shift lever.
Under it all: the same quad-turbo W16. 1,578 hp. 420 km/h.

Bugatti calls it "a car created to be read, remembered and felt, as much as it is to be driven." Hard to argue.

Link to the article in the comments ⤵️

05/28/2026

Ground clearance: 15 inches. Water fording: 45 inches. Optional 850-hp supercharged V8. Optional smoke screen. Optional pepper spray dispenser. Yes, really.

Meet the 2027 Rezvani Fortress — a four-wheel-drive luxury tank that starts at US$285,000 and climbs fast once you tick the tactical package. That package buys you military-grade ballistic armour, bullet-resistant glass, EMP protection, electrified door handles, FLIR thermal night vision, and a console safe.

Inside: more than 10 seat designs, fully customizable luxury trim. Outside: 37- or 40-inch tires and a Baja-inspired rear suspension.

Daniel called it "perfectly suited to Canadian roads." He's joking. Probably.

Link to the article in the comments ⤵️

05/28/2026

Audi's CEO can't stop talking, and that's how rumours get started.

In the same breath, Gernot Döllner floated two ideas at opposite ends of the spectrum: a rugged, off-road Audi SUV to chase the Trailsport/Wilderness crowd, and the return of the R8 — packing the screaming V8 from Lamborghini's Temerario.

He called a new R8 a "good idea." That's CEO-speak for "we've thought about this more than we're admitting."

Neither is confirmed. But Audi's already shown a lifted Q6 e-tron off-road concept, and reports point to a possible R8 revival as early as late 2027.

Which one do you actually want to see built?

Link in the comments ⤵️

05/28/2026

Would you put your name on the list if the books opened?

Audi's CEO just told Ars Technica that U.S. dealers asked for RS wagons — and that Audi is "doing that." A 639 hp plug-in hybrid RS 5 Avant in North America suddenly looks real.

Audi CEO Gernot Döllner hints RS wagons are being added for U.S. dealers RS 6 Avant success gives Audi a track record to lean on An Avant variant would likely start above $100,000 in Canada The question Audi enthusiasts in Canada have been asking for years has nothing to do with the RS 5 Sedan. …

05/28/2026

Every time you hit the brakes, an invisible system is adjusting pressure at each of your four wheels, dozens of times per second. It's called Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, or EBD — popularized by Mercedes-Benz in the mid-1990s and now standard on basically every new vehicle sold in Canada.

When paired with ABS, it reduces fatal loss-of-control crashes by roughly 10 to 15% on high-speed roads, and even more on wet or snowy surfaces. On EVs and hybrids, it also has to coordinate with regenerative braking — which makes the calibration job a lot trickier than it used to be.

Which piece of active safety tech do you think drivers underestimate the most in their day-to-day?

Every time we hit the road, we repeat a gesture without giving it a second thought. That gesture is pressing the brake pedal, whether to slow down, adjust speed before a corner, or stop at a light or a stop sign. Yet behind this seemingly simple action lies a level of physical complexity that engine...

05/27/2026

Starting with the 2027 model year, the US Department of Commerce will ban vehicles using software "designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied" by entities tied to China or Russia. Hardware follows in 2030. Volvo, owned by China's Geely, was technically on the wrong side of that rule — until last week.

After clarifying its governance and data security setup, Volvo secured an exemption and can keep selling in the US. Its cars are still mostly engineered in Sweden and built in Europe or South Carolina, but the bigger story is what this opens up for Geely's other brands, like Zeekr, down the road.

National security concern, plain protectionism, or a bit of both? Where do you land on banning Chinese-developed automotive software?

A new Department of Commerce rule will ban the importation of vehicles using software that has ties to China or Russia starting from the 2027 model year. The same rule will also ban hardware from these two countries from the 2030 model year. Despite its Chinese ownership, Volvo received an authoriza...

05/27/2026

Subaru just filed trademarks for four new names: ACX, VPX, ACX STI, and VPX STI. That's a real departure for a brand that, BRZ and WRX aside, still uses full names for its lineup.

The STI tag obviously points to performance, and the "X" could be a callback to the WRX's "World Rally eXperimental" — or to the SVX and XT coupes from the '80s and '90s.

ACX actually has roots there: Subaru showed the ACX-II concept in 1985, which eventually became the XT and then the SVX. A new performance coupe? A premium SUV coupé? Subaru isn't saying.

If Subaru greenlit one of these as a new performance car, what would you want it to be — a proper BRZ-sized successor to the SVX, or something completely new?

Subaru filed trademarks for ACX, VPX, ACX STI, and VPX STI. STI branding suggests potential performance or sport-oriented applications. ACX has historical ties to Subaru’s 1985 ACX-II concept lineage. Subaru has filed trademarks for no less than four new names that may signal future vehicle or tec...

05/27/2026

Lexus just did something almost no automaker has the nerve to do: build one car that's available as a hybrid or a full EV, and let buyers decide which way the market goes.

The 2026 ES is bigger in every dimension — 80 mm more wheelbase alone — and it's all-new from the platform up. Twelve configurations. A hybrid 350h now making 244 hp with available AWD, plus 350e and 500e electric variants reaching up to 481 km of range.

Daniel's takeaway from the first drive: it's a smart long-term bet. EVs run hot and cold depending on the year, and Lexus built a car that doesn't care which way the wind blows. The catch? A cabin that leans hard on touch controls, and a 500e that tips the scales at 5,037 lbs.

The bigger story is what comes next. This one-platform, every-powertrain approach is fully transferable across the Toyota empire — so expect to see it again.

Full first drive in the link below.

Of the three Japanese automakers that launched their luxury brands in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Lexus is the most successful. In Canada, it has carved out a dominant position in its segment, standing its ground against established names like Mercedes-Benz and BMW. It is from this position of s...