There have been some pretty cool model launches across the global automotive industry this past week, but I wouldn't go out with any car other than a BMW – a refreshed 2025 M2 instead of an M3, to be more precise.
Well, I don't know if the middle-age crisis is starting to show its face, but here it goes – this is my motivation for this week's choice as the perfect candidate to enter an eventual dream garage. The second week of June showed us all that summer is truly upon us if you ask my two cents on the matter. Everything started with Elon Musk pouring cold water on top of Tesla fans waiting for the rumors about the 'Juniper' refresh of the Tesla Model S Plaid coming true sometime this year. It's not going to happen, apparently.
Well, speaking of electrics, Hyundai teased the new Inster, a base all-new electric city car that looks like a perspective competitor for Dacia's little Spring, in turn, based on the Renault Kwid and the Renault City K-ZE. Volkswagen Tiguan's Czech cousin – the new-generation 2024 Skoda Kodiaq iV with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, went on sale in Europe and over in America, the 2025 Nissan Leaf reached another model year without changes but also with unmodified prices.
Apparently, Ferrari has come to terms with the fact that it needs to make an EV – but will make it feel and sound "authentic," nevertheless – whatever that means. If you want two extremes, the little 2024 Renault Captur rival of the Volkswagen T-Cross went on sale costing less than its rival, and in Australia, the Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 SUV traveled to the Land Down Under with a humongous MLRP.
Speaking of models that nobody really cares about anymore because of their high MSRPs, the new MINI Cooper (dubbed 5 Door in Europe and 4 Door in America) has arrived looking more practical and less fun while Volkswagen has continued teasing the hotter 2025 Golf R by announcing that power will rise to 329 horsepower in Europe (it's also slated to arrive in America, by the way, alongside the facelifted Golf GTI and the new Jetta and Jetta GLI later this year) – but it also loses the traditional stick shift transmission.
In America, the refreshed 2025 Honda Civic sedan prices kick off at $24,250 (plus $1,095 destination), and the new Hybrid model costs $28,750 or $31,750 for the Sport Hybrid and Sport Hybrid Touring, respectively. The good news is that both of them are good for a combined fuel economy of 49 miles per gallon (4.8 l/100 km) – while the new MINI Cooper S 4-Door with 201 horsepower (about the same as the Civic Hybrid) costs no less than $33,200 in the United States! Which one would you choose? Wink wink, I would go for a Civic, too.
In other news, the Rimac Nevera's 256-mph record for the fastest electric hypercar has been destroyed by a perspective hypercar – the Aspark OWL SP600 prototype did 273 miles per hour! However, the main events of the week both come from North America – Detroit and Mexico, to be more precise. So, after not showing the interior of the $325k Ford Mustang GTD for so long, the European premiere on the eve of the 24 Hours of Le Mans brought the first images of the carbon fiber-clad cockpit along with the reveal that the sub-7-minute attempt at the Nürburgring Nordschleife that will be done later this year will be facilitated by the Mustang GTD with Carbon Series and a new Performance package.
It looks gorgeous – a true supercar, not just an extreme muscle car. Alas, there are a few caveats. You can have even more power – 830 hp and 850 horsepower – from Shelby American and Hennessey if you select their Super Snake or H850 builds. Also, they cost less than $325k, and the Super Snake will even reach the United Kingdom, including in right-hand drive format. Secondly, while there's loads of carbon fiber in the cabin, the Mustang GTD still feels as cheap as a Mustang GT or Dark Horse – at least from the official photos. And you really don't want that when you go to the country club to meet the frat boys and gals.
Alas, after seeing a non-facelift BMW M2 in person recently, I am entirely convinced that I would buy it over the recently updated 2025 BMW M3, even though the changes are subtle. At $64,900, the 2025 BMW M2 isn't a cheap sports car, even though it's very compact and bonkers-wide enough to feel planted on any road. But it comes with more power thanks to an addition of 20 horsepower for a grand total of 473 hp, and it also doesn't have the double-coffin kidney grille like the larger and way more expensive 2025 BMW M3 and M4. So, what do you think? Do you agree with my choice for this week's dream garage entry?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News