Today in Cars: Lucid’s 1,070-hp Family Hauler, Nautilus’ New Face, and Lexus Goes All-Electrified (Sort Of)

I started the morning with an espresso and a pile of embargoed photos. By lunch, it was SUVs everywhere, electrification strategy sessions, and one Ferrari that looks like it came from a different universe. Here’s the daily brief, stitched together after a few calls, plenty of scrolling, and a quick loop behind the wheel of a big diesel bruiser.

EV Power Plays: Lucid Goes Full Send, Ferrari’s First EV Sells Out, Lexus Trims the Fat

Lucid Gravity GT-S: 1,070 hp, three rows, real intent

Lucid has a fresh flagship for the family set. The Gravity GT-S brings back the Dream Edition’s headline 1,070 horsepower and layers on a chassis tuned for handling. It’s still a three-row SUV, which makes that power figure feel even more absurd—in the best possible way. On paper it reads like a Silicon Valley flex; in practice, this looks aimed squarely at Range Rover Sport and Model X owners who secretly want a track day now and then.

• Output: 1,070 hp (GT-S)
• Layout: Three-row electric SUV
• Focus: Added handling prowess versus earlier Gravity tunes
• Use case: School run to sky run—no compromise on speed

Ferrari Luce EV: Already spoken for

Ferrari confirmed its Luce EV is sold out, with Australian allocation locked and timing set. If you’ve ever tried to snag a hot new Ferrari, that sentence won’t surprise you. What’s noteworthy is how quickly Ferrari loyalists embraced a battery-electric Prancing Horse. When ultra-luxury goes electric and the order book slams shut, that says plenty about where the top of the market—and its values—are headed.

Lexus NX: Hybrid and PHEV-only

Lexus will make the NX a hybrids-only affair—regular hybrid and plug-in hybrid. Honestly, that’s right in its wheelhouse. In traffic, the current NX hybrids glide around with the sort of calm power delivery you want Monday through Friday. Taking gasoline-only off the table should simplify the lineup and sharpen the message: quiet, efficient, premium. Straightforward, very Lexus.

Mercedes-Benz: Chasing better EV resale the old-fashioned way

Mercedes-Benz says it’ll improve EV resale values by aligning electric models more closely with ICE cars on pricing and design. That tracks with what a few early EQ owners told me at a cars-and-coffee: the bigger the perceived gap in styling and MSRP, the more skittish used buyers get. Pull EVs closer to the mainstream Merc playbook and you dampen the “weird equals risky” effect that crushes residuals. Less spaceship, more Stuttgart—on purpose.

Fresh Faces and Future Shapes: Nautilus, Kona, and a Wild Ferrari One-Off

2027 Lincoln Nautilus: Facelift and a “black eye”

Lincoln’s Nautilus gets a tidy facelift for 2027 and a bolder front-end treatment that’s earning “black eye” quips. In photos, the darker, more assertive brow works—leaner and more confident without shouting. The Nautilus has always done serenity well; this refresh adds some presence without losing the spa-day vibe. Expect the cabin to remain an oasis, which is the point of a Lincoln in 2026, isn’t it?

2028 Hyundai Kona: Next-gen spied in desert heat

Hyundai’s next-gen Kona has been snapped sweating through hot-weather testing. The current model grew up nicely, so think of this as the maturity phase: tighter packaging, tidier aero, and (if Hyundai’s recent form holds) much-improved driver-assistance tuning. I’ll be curious about ride quality—on rough, patchy roads the present Kona can get busy; the prototypes look hunkered down and more planted.

Ferrari CZ26 One-Off: An SF90 turned two-box art

Someone with taste and access turned an SF90 into a radical two-box sculpture dubbed CZ26. It’s the kind of coachbuilt fever dream you sketch in a notebook and a decade later it actually rolls into Monterey. Practical? Hardly. Mesmerizing? Completely. It proves Ferrari’s mid-engined architecture can host forms far beyond the traditional tear-drop coupe silhouette.

Workhorses and Weekend Warriors: Ranger/Everest Updates and a Big Diesel Taste Test

2027 Ford Ranger & Everest: Prices and lineup changes

Ford has shuffled pricing and trimmed/added variants for the 2027 Ranger and its seven-seat Everest sibling. The gist: more clarity in the lineup and—depending on market—feature realignments that better match how people actually spec these things. The Ranger/Everest duo has become the family-and-adventure backbone for a lot of households; any change here matters to a nation of trailers and trailheads.

GWM Tank 500 3.0TD: Quick drive impressions

I had a short go in the Tank 500 3.0 turbo-diesel and two things jumped out immediately. One: the torque comes on early and easy, which suits a body-on-frame seven-seater just fine. Two: the ride smooths out with speed. Around town, you feel the mass over sharp edges; settle into a highway cruise and it finds its stride. Steering is light, visibility is commanding, and the cabin space is generous in the “pack it all and go” way families love. It won’t be for everyone—parking garages will remind you of its size—but as a long-haul tourer, the recipe makes sense.

Industry Notes and Oddities

Jaguar’s rocky relaunch gets a post-mortem

A former Jaguar design chief pointed at politics, social media noise (yes, that includes Elon), and the broader “woke” culture debate as headwinds for the brand’s reinvention. There’s a kernel of truth in the idea that loud discourse distorts product narratives—but great cars with clear positioning usually cut through. The next act for Jaguar needs fewer think pieces and more seat time that blows minds.

Suzuki’s $13K 10-seat police van

Suzuki cooked up a microvan patrol special that seats 10 for around $13,000. It will never win a pursuit, but that’s not the point. This is about moving people cheaply and reliably through dense cities, where agility, cost, and running simplicity beat horsepower every day of the week.

Quick Compare: Two New Takes on the Family SUV

What Stood Out to Me Today

• Power meets practicality: A 1,070-hp three-row isn’t a stunt—families really will use this.
• Less weird, more resale: Mercedes is right to stop making EVs feel like moon landers.
• Hybrids where they make sense: Lexus leaning into the NX’s strengths feels overdue.
• Heritage, reimagined: Ferrari’s coachbuilt imagination is alive and well.

Conclusion

From electrified heavy hitters to quietly smart lineup moves, today’s news paints a clear picture: the market’s extremes are thriving—wild, bespoke Ferraris on one end, brutally capable family SUVs on the other—while the middle gets sharper, calmer, more sensible. If you’re shopping, it’s an excellent time to be picky.

FAQ

• How much power does the Lucid Gravity GT-S have? 1,070 horsepower, along with a chassis tune aimed at sharper handling.
• Is the Lexus NX dropping gasoline-only models? Yes. The lineup is moving to hybrid and plug-in hybrid only.
• What’s new on the 2027 Lincoln Nautilus? A facelift with a more assertive front-end design often described as a “black eye,” while keeping its comfort-first character.
• Did Ferrari’s first EV really sell out? Yes. Ferrari says the Luce EV allocation is spoken for, with Australian orders confirmed and timing set.
• How will Mercedes-Benz improve EV resale values? By aligning EV pricing and design more closely with its ICE models to reduce perceived risk and depreciation.