FAST NEWS - Hubshop's Weekly Roundup / Week #03

1. Performance & Product Releases and New Arrivals

• Mercedes CLA Named "Car of the Year 2026": The verdict came on January 9 at the Brussels Motor Show. The new CLA won with 320 points, giving Mercedes its first title since 1974. It finished ahead of the Skoda Elroq (220 pts) and the Kia EV4 (208 pts).
• Kia EV2 - The Star of Brussels: Kia revealed the details of its electric urban SUV built in Europe. With two batteries (42 and 61 kWh), it promises up to 448 km of range, with a target starting price under €25,000.
• Renault Filante: On January 13, the group officially launched its new flagship for markets outside Europe. This large crossover debuts a range-extender hybrid powertrain targeting more than 1,000 km of total range.

2. Global News & Automaker Market

• Social Leasing 2026 - Already Full: On January 13, the government confirmed that the quota of 50,000 applications has been reached. The Renault 5 E-Tech was the most popular model, accounting for 25% of applications in this second edition.
• Fuel - Price Increase Confirmed at the Pump: Since January 1, prices have risen by an average of 4 to 6 cents per liter. The increase is due to stricter Energy Savings Certificate (CEE) requirements imposed on fuel distributors.
• Cupra Overtakes Seat: Final 2025 figures released this week show that Cupra has become the leading Spanish brand of the VW Group with 328,800 sales, ahead of Seat's 257,400 units.

3. Motorsport - Dakar 2026 and F1 Countdown

• Dakar 2026 - Twist on Stage 9: On January 13, Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia) lost the overall lead. Nani Roma (Ford) is now setting the pace ahead of Carlos Sainz. The gaps are tiny heading into the final three stages.
• F1 2026 - One Day to Go Before Red Bull-Ford: The F1 world is focused on Detroit, where the RB22 livery will be unveiled tomorrow, January 15. The event marks the official launch of the Red Bull Ford Powertrains engine.
• Formula E: Nick Cassidy (Jaguar) won the Mexico City ePrix on January 10. Worth noting is the solid start to the season for the Stellantis powertrain (DS/Citroën), which finished in the points.

4. Upcoming Auto Events & Must-Sees

• Red Bull F1 Launch (January 15): Kickoff of the 2026 season in Detroit, streaming live on Red Bull TV.
• Brussels Motor Show Closes (January 18): Last days to see the finalists for the Car of the Year award.
• Rallye Monte-Carlo (January 22-25): The WRC season opens next week in the French Alps.

5. Performance Pick of the Week

Ford's Dakar Triple: By placing Roma, Sainz and Ekström at the front as the finish approaches, Ford is making a resounding return to rally raid. The Raptor's reliability against Dacia and Toyota shows that the American brand is ready to become a major player in world motorsport again from the start of 2026.

See you next week for the unveiling of Max Verstappen's new car!