FAST NEWS - Hubshop's Weekly Roundup / Week #05

1. Performance & Product Releases and News

• Tesla Model Y "Juniper" - First deliveries are getting close: Rumors are building around the imminent launch of the facelifted Model Y. The first pre-production units have been spotted with a new full-width LED light bar and an interior modeled on the Model 3 Highland (8-inch rear screen and no steering column stalks).
• Porsche Macan GTS Electric: Porsche has officially opened orders for the GTS variant of its electric SUV. With 563 hp and a chassis lowered by 10 mm, it aims to become the benchmark for driving dynamics in its segment. The first customer deliveries are expected in the spring.
• 2026 Cadillac Vistiq: The American automaker has announced final pricing for its three-row electric SUV. Positioned between the Lyriq and the Escalade IQ, it targets a range of more than 600 km thanks to GM's Ultium platform.

2. Global News & Automaker Market

• Tolls - Annual increase on February 1: As every year, French highway tolls will go up in a few days. In 2026, the average increase will be held to about 0.86%, a historically low rise compared with previous years.
• Ford and the return of sedans: At a conference on January 20, CEO Jim Farley surprised the industry by not ruling out Ford's return to the sedan segment, calling the market "vibrant" again as the SUV offering becomes saturated.
• CO2 penalty - January reminder: Dealers confirm that the new trigger threshold (108 g/km) is already affecting the sales mix, with a sharp drop in registrations of pure internal combustion vehicles in favor of plug-in hybrids.

3. Motorsport - Toyota 1-2-3 at Monte-Carlo

• WRC - Oliver Solberg conquers Monte-Carlo: At 24, the Swede made history by becoming the youngest winner of the legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo (on January 25). In his debut with Toyota in the top class, he dominated on roads alternating between snow and ice.
• Historic 1-2-3 for Toyota: Behind Solberg, Toyota locked out the podium with Elfyn Evans (2nd) and Sébastien Ogier (3rd). Ogier, while happy with the podium, admitted to a tough weekend against the fire of the new generation.
• WRC2 - French victory: Léo Rossel won the lower class at the wheel of his Citroën C3 Rally2 after a flawless rally, confirming French expertise on Alpine roads.

4. Upcoming Automotive Events & Must-See Dates

• Copper network shutdown (January 31): Final days for repair shops and charging stations to make sure their payment and connected management systems have been switched over to fiber or 5G.
• Rally Sweden (February 12-15): The next round of the WRC will be held on pure snow, where Oliver Solberg will try to confirm his championship lead on home ground.
• F1 winter testing: The first teams are starting to set up in Barcelona for the private tests scheduled for early February.

5. F1 Update: The Cars Unveiled

• Red Bull RB22 (Jan 15): Unveiled in Detroit, it marks the start of the Red Bull Ford Powertrains era. Max Verstappen and rookie Isack Hadjar will drive a car with a radical design, featuring a livery with more dark blue and a prominent Ford logo.
• Ferrari SF-26 (Jan 25): This was the event of the week. The Scuderia presented the car of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. The car wears a deep red and features highly sculpted sidepods to optimize cooling of the new Italian power unit.
• Audi Revolut F1 (Jan 20): For its official entry, Audi unveiled its final livery in Berlin: a mix of titanium, carbon black and red. Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto will be tasked with making the four rings shine starting this year.
• Haas VF-26 (Jan 19): The first livery of the Toyota Gazoo Racing era (technical partner). The car features a clean design, very close to the version that turned its first laps in Barcelona yesterday.

6. Performance Pick of the Week

The Oliver Solberg phenomenon: Winning Monte-Carlo in his first Rally1 event with Toyota is a feat reminiscent of the early days of the all-time greats. His mastery of changing conditions and his composure against a ten-time winner of the event like Ogier prove that the WRC has found its new superstar for the 2026 era.

See you next week for the first inside scoop from F1 testing in Barcelona!