AUTONEWS

What is "rail dust" and how can it damage car paint?

Tiny rusty-orange specks that appear on a car's bodywork often seem harmless at first glance. However, this is known as "rail dust"—tiny metal particles that can bond to the car's surface and damage the paint over time.

Rail dust can appear even on new cars and is particularly noticeable on lighter-colored vehicles. It is most often spotted after a thorough car wash, when characteristic orange or brown specks remain on the bodywork.

According to Autonews, these particles are most commonly generated during braking. Brakes can release tiny metal filings, which then adhere to the paint on the car's exterior surfaces. Consequently, rail dust frequently appears on the lower sections of the bodywork, from the door handles downwards.

If not removed in time, these rust particles can spread and cause further damage to the surface. Therefore, a standard car wash is not sufficient to remove them.

Special pH-neutral products designed specifically to dissolve metal particles are used to remove rail dust. Before using them, the car should be thoroughly washed and dried, as the product is applied to a dry surface. Once applied, the product must be left to work according to the manufacturer's instructions. As it begins to dissolve the metal particles, colored streaks may appear on the surface. They should then be removed using a damp microfiber cloth, and the surface thoroughly rinsed with clean water.

Particular attention should be paid to bodywork seams and crevices, as residues of dissolved particles can accumulate there. Consequently, traces may appear even after the car looks completely clean on the outside.

Fallout removers can also be used on other parts of the vehicle, such as aluminum rims, license plates, and certain hard-to-reach areas. However, they should not be allowed to dry on the surface, especially when the car is exposed to direct sunlight.

It is also important to note that surface rust contamination is not limited to older vehicles. It can also appear on new cars that spend a lot of time on the road or are parked in environments with high concentrations of airborne metal particles.

Therefore, during a thorough car wash, it is worth looking out for tiny orange and brown spots on the paintwork. Prompt removal of metal particles helps preserve the bodywork and prevents them from causing further damage to the paint.

Rail dust is a term for tiny, airborne metal shavings—mostly iron and steel—that land on a vehicle and embed themselves into the clear coat.

Why It happens:

• The Name: It originates from the friction of metal train wheels grinding against steel railroad tracks, which releases hot metallic dust into the air. Many cars pick this up during factory transport via freight trains.

• Other Sources: Similar iron fallout comes from industrial areas, construction sites, and even your own car's braking system as metallic brake pads wear down. Because these particles are hot or sharp when airborne, they easily melt or wedge right into the vehicle's protective clear coat.

How It damages car paint:

• Oxidation and Rusting: Once embedded, the iron particles react with oxygen and moisture in the air, causing them to rust. This creates tiny orange or brown specks that expand beneath the surface.

• Micro-Pitting and Corrosion: As the rust grows, it eats deeper into the clear coat and base paint layer, causing permanent micro-pitting, cracking, and eventual panel corrosion if left untreated.

• Surface Roughness: The trapped particles ruin the smooth texture of the paint, making the car feel like sandpaper and causing dirt and grime to stick much more easily. Regular soap and water washing cannot remove these bonded particles.

AUTONEWS

Study uncovers security weaknesses in next-generation vehicle technology

Georgia Tech researchers have identified seven previously unknown security flaws in next-generation communication standards that connect in-vehicle computers. These flaws create vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to take control of key driver-assistance functions in personal vehicles.

The team also found that the new standard's core rules for sending messages and handling errors retain every known security weakness of older versions.

The vulnerabilities could allow an attacker who has already gained access to a vehicle's internal computer network to change or intercept messages, take individual vehicle computers offline, send different information to different systems, or disrupt network communication.

CAN Extra Long (CAN XL), the latest version of the controller area network (CAN), is designed for future cars and other vehicles that need to move large amounts of data between onboard computers. The technology is not yet widely deployed in production vehicles, giving manufacturers an opportunity to address security concerns before it becomes more common.

“Because it isn't widely deployed yet, we have a narrow window to get its security right,” said Associate Professor Saman Zonouz of the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, one of the researchers on the project. 

“Fixing a standard now is far easier than fixing it once it's built into the hardware of millions of cars that stay on the road for a decade or more.”

Zonouz said CAN XL is expected to become the primary version of CAN, the network that enables computers inside a vehicle to communicate. It is also expected to serve as the main network for driver-assistance systems in future vehicles.

The researchers confirmed the seven vulnerabilities in commercial CAN XL hardware and demonstrated attacks using a physical test setup that mimics a vehicle network.

Modern vehicles can have dozens of electronic control units that manage systems such as sensors, brakes, steering, and entertainment. These computers need to communicate quickly and reliably.

For decades, many vehicles have used CAN for this communication. However, the original version, known as classic CAN, was not designed to handle the volume of data generated by newer vehicle technologies.

CAN XL was developed to provide faster communication, larger messages, and new security features, but the researchers wanted to know whether the new standard’s basic rules were secure. Their testing revealed that they weren’t. They discovered that an attacker who controls one computer on the network could intercept and replace messages or take a targeted computer offline.

“These flaws are in the standard itself, so every device built to follow it inherits them,” Zonouz said. “With CAN XL, there's still time to fix these problems before they reach the road.”

The attacks would require an attacker to first gain control of a computer connected to the vehicle's internal network. The research does not show that CAN XL itself provides a means to break into a vehicle. Instead, it shows what an attacker could do after gaining access.

Several attacks were also faster and harder to detect than similar attacks against classic CAN, according to the authors.

The researchers proposed changes to the CAN XL rules to prevent several of the attacks. They also recommended additional security measures, including message authentication and systems that can detect unusual activity.

The team reported the vulnerabilities and informed the manufacturers of the commercial devices it tested about the bugs it found. One company has already released a fix. The researchers hope their findings will help manufacturers address security weaknesses before the technology becomes more widely used.

A Formal Security Analysis of CAN XL was published in the Proceedings of the 35th USENIX Security Symposium, held Aug. 12-14 in Baltimore, MD. The paper was also named a runner-up for a distinguished paper award.

The study was conducted by Georgia Tech Ph.D. student ZhaozhouTang, Professor Vijay Ganesh, Zonouz, and Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Raheem Beyah, along with Khaled Serag of the Qatar Computing Research Institute and Z. Berkay Celik of Purdue University.

Today’s cars are no longer purely mechanical machines. With in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems, telematics, wireless connectivity, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADASs), and cloud services, modern vehicles now function as connected computing platforms on wheels.

As vehicles become more connected and software-defined, the digital attack surface has expanded dramatically. Threat actors are exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities, compromising third-party components, and targeting emerging technologies.

When connected features become attack vectors...At Pwn2Own Automotive 2024 , security researchers from Synacktiv exploited a Tesla Model 3 in about two minutes. The attack began with a rogue GSM signal targeting the vehicle’s modem, then pivoted into the IVI system before gaining control of functions such as the headlights, doors, and trunk.

Two years later, the stakes grew even higher. At Pwn2Own...Automotive 2026, researchers demonstrated remote code execution (RCE) against Alpine and Kenwood head units, while electric vehicle (EV) chargers were compromised to manipulate charging sessions and potentially access backend networks.

These demonstrations highlight how attackers can move from externally exposed interfaces into broader vehicle systems. In many cases, a single vulnerability — particularly in interfaces that are visible, reachable, and behaviorally meaningful to drivers — can become an initial attack vector for multi-stage attacks that spread to other vehicle subsystems.

This pattern is also reflected in VicOne’s 2026 Automotive...Cybersecurity Report. Analysis of 2025 automotive cybersecurity incidents shows that attackers increasingly target in-vehicle systems that drivers interact with directly, with IVI systems among the most frequently targeted components.

Hidden risks in aftermarket accessories...Aftermarket accessories such as dongles and dash cams can introduce significant cybersecurity risks to modern vehicles. Popular devices such as the CarlinKit CPC200-CCPA and the 70mai A51 have been found to ship with hardcoded Wi-Fi passwords, accept unsigned firmware updates via web or USB interfaces, and fail to verify bootloaders or kernels.

An attacker could upload malicious firmware, potentially gaining root access and remote code execution. Once compromised, these accessories can act as persistent backdoors, giving attackers an easy foothold for lateral movement into the rest of the vehicle.

Backdoors in AI-driven vehicle systems...In 2026, researchers demonstrated that targeted poisoning or backdoor attacks are feasible against SuperNet-based AI used in autonomous driving systems. The method, called VillainNet, differs from conventional attacks targeting hardware or firmware. It lurks inside the AI model itself responsible for vehicle perception and decision-making. 

The attack only surfaces when specific operational conditions, such as weather or vehicle speed, activate the targeted subnetwork, making it appear normal in most configurations and potentially difficult to detect with traditional static model-based inspection methods.

The discovery highlights a growing blind spot in automotive cybersecurity. As vehicles increasingly rely on AI-based driving intelligence and decision systems, attackers may no longer need to break into the vehicle’s hardware or networks. They can instead manipulate the intelligence that guides how the vehicle interprets and responds to the world.

ADAS: Where automotive cybersecurity meets vehicle safety...As vehicles move closer toward autonomy, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADASs) are emerging as a critical frontier of automotive cybersecurity. Security researchers have demonstrated that even the sensors guiding these systems can be manipulated. A study in 2019 showed that carefully timed laser signals could spoof LiDAR sensors, causing autonomous systems to perceive obstacles that do not exist or fail to detect real ones.

These demonstrations reveal how vulnerabilities in perception...systems can affect the entire driving decision chain. A compromise in one ADAS sensor, for example, can cascade through perception, decision, and control layers, potentially affecting braking, steering, collision avoidance, and other safety-critical functions.

Emerging cyber risks in modern mobility...As vehicles become increasingly connected and software-defined, automotive cyber risks are expanding beyond individual vehicle components to the broader mobility ecosystem. VicOne’s 2026 Automotive Cybersecurity Threat Report highlights several emerging cyber risks that could shape the next phase of automotive cybersecurity. Some of the key predictions include:

AI training data as a new supply chain risk: Attackers may target the datasets used to train automotive AI systems, introducing vulnerabilities that could propagate across multiple vehicle generations.

Fleet-scale OTA compromise: A breach in centralized over-the-air update infrastructure could distribute malicious firmware across entire vehicle fleets.

Cyber risks extending into energy infrastructure: As vehicles integrate with charging networks and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) systems, attacks on charging infrastructure could disrupt both mobility services and energy systems.

These emerging risks show how automotive cyber threats are expanding beyond individual vehicles to the broader ecosystem that supports modern mobility.

Researchers at Georgia Tech have identified seven previously unknown security vulnerabilities in the next-generation communication standard known as CAN Extra Long (CAN XL). This technology was developed to connect the internal computers of modern vehicles and enable the rapid exchange of large volumes of data.

As the standard is still under development and has not yet been widely implemented in mass-production vehicles, this discovery offers a crucial opportunity for the automotive industry to fix the flaws before the cars hit the road.

What are the flaws and how do they work?

The study revealed that CAN XL’s fundamental rules for message transmission and error handling retain all the security weaknesses of previous versions (such as the classic CAN):

• Attack prerequisite: The study clarifies that the CAN XL flaws do not provide an initial entry point into the car. An attacker must first gain physical or digital access to the vehicle's internal computer network.

• Attacker capabilities: Once inside the network, the attacker can intercept, alter, or replace messages. They can also disable specific onboard computers (taking them offline), send false information, or disrupt all internal communication.

• Severity: These actions could allow for malicious control of essential driver-assistance functions in passenger vehicles. Furthermore, physical tests demonstrated that CAN XL attacks are faster and considerably harder to detect than those carried out on older systems.

🛠️ Proposed solutions and industry impact

Led by researcher Saman Zonouz, the team proposed direct changes to the CAN XL standard's rules to mitigate risks before its official market debut. Recommendations include:

1. Strict message authentication to ensure instructions originate from a legitimate system.

2. Anomaly detection systems capable of identifying unusual activity within the vehicle's network. The team notified the manufacturers of the commercial devices tested. Demonstrating the urgency of the automotive cybersecurity landscape, one of the responsible companies has already developed and released a fix for its hardware.

Georgia Tech university

 

AUTONEWS

Crisis knocks on Mercedes' door

The European automotive industry is going through a difficult period, and the pressure is being felt even more acutely in Germany. Chinese competition, falling demand in certain markets, US tariffs, and high production costs are forcing major manufacturers to rethink their industrial structures.

Against this backdrop—and following moves by the Volkswagen Group and BMW—Mercedes-Benz is also preparing measures to cut costs and reduce its workforce.

For Mercedes-Benz, manufacturing cars in Germany is no longer internationally competitive, primarily due to high labor costs. Michael Schiebe, a Mercedes-Benz production executive, issued a warning to the workforce: "Without cost reductions, it might become necessary to close one car plant and another dedicated to powertrain systems."

Despite this warning, no specific plants have yet been identified as being at risk of closure. "Our goal is to keep all our production facilities in Germany," the executive stated.

To achieve this, Mercedes-Benz aims to cut labor costs in Germany by €800 million. According to Reuters—citing reports from *WirtschaftsWoche*—measures under discussion include changes to working hours and supplementary payments, such as holiday and Christmas bonuses. The company declined to comment on the ongoing negotiations.

The Volkswagen Group surprised the market by announcing the closure of four factories and the layoff of at least a hundred thousand workers, aiming to boost profits that had fallen to worrying levels. However, all signs point to this not being the only German automaker in trouble; Mercedes is also preparing to take drastic measures, including layoffs and plant closures.

German automakers are navigating a precarious period where crises seem to emerge from every direction, and the solutions devised to address the initial problem often create further complications. A prime example is the over-reliance on the Chinese market—the world's largest, yet one governed with an iron fist by the Communist government led by Xi Jinping, where the very types of cars purchased by the public are often dictated by those in power to suit their strategic agenda.

This context is relevant to the difficulties Volkswagen has faced in the Chinese market. The company held the top spot from 1993 until 2023, when it was overtaken by BYD—a competitor that had placed a stronger bet on electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) for the local market. By failing to produce the vehicles Chinese consumers increasingly wanted (EVs and PHEVs), VW saw its sales drop from 3.23 million units in 2023 to 2.93 million in 2024 and 2.69 million in 2025—a decline of approximately 540,000 units over three years. But the worst occurred in 2026, when VW sold only 971,000 vehicles in the first six months—marking the first time the brand had sold fewer than a million cars since 2010.

When this poor performance in China is combined with growing Chinese competition in Europe—a door VW helped open—and stiffer tariffs for entering the US market, it is easy to see why installed production capacity might be excessive; this makes the plan to close four factories in Germany, along with cutting 100,000 jobs by 2030, seem logical. Of course, the current troubles facing VW Group brands were partly caused by German manufacturers' efforts to pressure their government into stopping the European Union (of which Germany is the largest budget contributor) from imposing the 100% tariffs that had been considered—and were implemented in the US—to offset subsidies deemed illegal by the World Trade Organization and the European Commission. Instead, the EU applied lower tariffs, averaging about one-third of that rate, on Chinese electric models exported to the Old Continent.

According to statements made to Reuters, Mercedes is preparing to follow in the footsteps of VW Group—Europe’s largest automotive group (and the second-largest globally), which sold 8.98 million vehicles in 2025 (with the VW brand alone accounting for 4.73 million), far exceeding Mercedes' 2.16 million. "Our goal is to keep all our factories running," said Michael Schiebe, Head of Production for the "Silver Star" brand, adding that if they are unable to achieve this, there are few alternatives. "We would have to close one car plant and one engine plant," Schiebe admitted. The powerful German metalworkers' union, IG Metall, did not take kindly to the factory closures and resulting layoffs—viewing them as a threat from Mercedes—and immediately warned the brand to expect resistance, even though the scale of Mercedes' cuts is less than half of those projected for VW. Interestingly, the situation the manufacturer is facing is also closely linked to China, where Mercedes sales have dropped by 30%, while US tariffs resulted in losses of $1.1 million in 2025 alone.

The Chinese market...The pressure stems from more than just internal costs. Like other major German automakers, Mercedes-Benz is grappling with the transformation of the Chinese market, where local manufacturers are gaining ground—particularly with electrified vehicles.

At the same time, European brands face mounting competition within Europe itself, as well as US tariffs on car imports.

The combination of these factors is challenging an industrial structure built up over decades. Manufacturing in Germany entails higher labor costs than elsewhere, and margin pressures make it increasingly difficult to maintain excess production capacity.

Negotiations between management and worker representatives therefore promise to be pivotal. The general works council has already rejected the threat of plant closures as a tactic to pressure workers into making concessions, while IG Metall prepares for fresh talks regarding labor costs in the sector.

The communist dictatorship led by Xi Jinping even dictates the type of cars the population should buy...The Chinese government, under the leadership of the Communist Party and Xi Jinping, exerts strong regulatory and economic influence over the automotive market, aggressively steering the population toward purchasing electric and hybrid vehicles (NEVs). Although Chinese citizens are free to choose the specific brand or model they prefer from a vast array of private and state-owned options, the State employs strict incentive and restriction mechanisms to shape these consumer decisions.

Control over market direction is exercised on three main fronts:

1. Five-year plans and state targets...The government sets rigorous industrial guidelines. The plan for the 2026–2030 cycle mandates that electrified vehicles account for 70% of passenger car sales in China. The State dictates average fuel efficiency standards for fleets, compelling automakers to produce smaller, more efficient electric cars to meet government targets.

2. Barriers to internal combustion (gasoline) cars...In major Chinese metropolises like Beijing and Shanghai, obtaining a license plate registration for a traditional internal combustion car is extremely difficult and expensive:

• Lottery and Auction Systems: Citizens must enter a lengthy lottery or pay thousands of dollars at an auction just for the right to obtain a license plate for a gasoline car.

• Exemption for Electric Vehicles: Buyers of electric vehicles receive a green license plate almost immediately and free of charge, completely bypassing these restrictions.

3. Subsidies and tax policies...For years, the government has financially stimulated the sector through purchase tax exemptions and direct bonuses. As the market matured, tax rules were updated (with transitions involving partial tax exemptions through 2027) to benefit only models meeting strict requirements for range and battery density set by ministries in Beijing.

ALFA ROMEO

Alfa Romeo reveals the name of its new concept car: Cuorerosso

The concept car set to take center stage at the 2026 Paris Motor Show will be named the Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso. This name captures the very essence of the brand, uniting two symbols deeply rooted in its identity: the color red—the color of passion and an unmistakable hallmark of the Alfa Romeo spirit—and the heart, the source of that same energy and a symbol of the profound, instinctive bond connecting every one of the brand's creations to its drivers.

In the Cuorerosso, these two elements beat in unison, forming a statement of intent that transcends the name itself to represent a car of the future—one designed above all to deliver a powerful emotional experience.

It is the car that fans of the brand ("Alfistis") have long awaited, capable of expressing that unique automotive interpretation woven into the DNA of the "Biscione" brand: a vision that goes beyond the concept of a mere means of transport to embrace the purest driving emotions.

What defines Alfa Romeo is not only its distinctive design and cutting-edge technology but also the powerful, almost instinctive connection forged with the person behind the wheel—a symbiotic relationship that this concept elevates to an even more intense level. Its roots lie in a unique automotive culture where superb craftsmanship, design, and performance merge with passion, transforming attention to detail into beauty, and beauty into emotion. Created for those who still love driving and seek authentic experiences behind the wheel, Alfa Romeo’s latest creation draws inspiration from Italy—with its tradition of superb craftsmanship and refined aesthetic sensibility; from a sporting spirit—a constant pursuit of dynamism and driving pleasure; and from the color red—a symbol of performance and passion that has always been part of the brand's heritage. From these three elements emerges a masterpiece that is unmistakably Italian and unmistakably Alfa Romeo, looking toward the future with ambition and boldness.

Choosing an Alfa Romeo has never been merely a rational act, but an impulse from deep within—one that reason confirms only later. It is precisely this ability to forge a deep harmony with customers that makes Alfa Romeo a true "love brand"—a brand that transcends the product itself to build an enduring relationship. This harmony shapes *Cuorerosso*, a concept developed by the very people who create Alfa Romeo cars every day, intended for the brand's enthusiasts (the "Alfisti") worldwide—people united by the belief that driving is an experience felt first, even before it can be described in words. After all, the most authentic emotions are not chosen; they simply happen. Like the beating of a heart—an involuntary muscle that needs no permission to act. Just like passion, which cannot be explained or commanded, but is simply experienced freely and instinctively. Reason can describe an emotion, but the heart is what gives our feelings intensity and value. And without a heart, we would be nothing but machines.

From October 12 to 18, a new concept car will be on display in Hall 4 of the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition center. The Alfa Romeo press conference is scheduled for October 12 at 10:55 a.m.

Autonews

 

KIA

2026 Kia PV5 Chassis Cab 

There is no ticking a cheaper box, and that's a bit curious when you remember that some regions offer a standard-range pack with 51.1 kWh as opposed to 71.2 kWh only in the United Kingdom. A chassis cab is useful after the converter bolts a body to it, and range dies with every kilogram sacked on the exposed rear frame.

While it may be pricey, the larger battery does make plenty of sense from this point of view. Kia argues the very same case, highlighting that fleet operators with longer or less practical daily routes prefer the larger pack. Also worth noting, some operators may also be hampered by the lack of a charger at every depot.

On paper, the charging numbers are best described as workable rather than impressive. DC fast charging runs at up to 120 kilowatts, taking the battery's state of charge from 10 to 80 percent in around half an hour. Using an 11-kW wallbox, the stint from 10 to 100 percent on AC is estimated at six and a half hours.

The British version of the PV5 Chassis will come with the Long Range 71.2kWh battery installed (there’s a smaller 51.1kWh Standard Range version available in Europe that Kia UK’s not bothering with). 

Kia’s estimating 258 miles of range from the Long Range (416km) based on the performance of its van version, but obviously mileage will vary depending on what you stick on the back of the PV5 Chassis. 

It’ll DC rapid charge at up to 120kW for a 10–80% charge time of 30 minutes and comes with 11kW AC charging. 

The PV5 electric chassis cab version is yours to do with it as you please, but Kia does say that its official conversion partner TGS Automotive Group does a nice line in lightweight tipper, box and dropside trucks with a variety of accessories available. 

Kia says that it has sold over 13,000 PV5 across Europe in the first half of 2026, with the van taking over a third of electric van sales in the region. 

The company hasn’t said exactly when the new option is going on sale and how much it will cost, but has said that it plans to roll the PV5 Chassis out across Europe by the end of 2026. 

Final range and payload depend on the finished conversion, load, route, and conditions. Kia says so itself, and it's right to. For a rough yardstick, the 71.2-kWh version of the PV5 Cargo in L2H1 flavor is good for 258 miles (415 kilometers) on a full charge in the WLTP. The chassis-cab model with a body on the back, therefore, will probably land somewhere under the aforementioned figure.

Erhan Eren, the PBV director at Kia Europe, keeps the pitch short. Commercial vehicle customers need solutions that reflect how they operate, with the long-range battery giving businesses greater scope to balance conversion requirements, charging access, and distance. The PV5 Chassis is the most bare-bones member of the family, which includes Cargo and Passenger models.

The conversion-focused variant is Kia's first dedicated chassis-cab electric platform, built on the E-GMP.S architecture. Said platform was engineered from the start for application-specific bodies, and the dimensions certainly help. The PV5 Cargo stays under five meters long, and Kia claims a best-in-class turning circle that rivals that of compact hatchbacks.

City streets, building sites, and depots are where that 5.5-meter (18 feet) turning circle matters and where most of these vehicles will spend their working lives. Britain gets a named partner for the bodywork. TGS Automotive Group is the official PBV conversion partner in the United Kingdom, promising box, tipper, and dropside solutions for the PV5 Chassis.

Modular extras include mesh cage, beacons, chapter 8 traffic management livery, and fall arrest systems. Kia further claims the converted vehicles offer best-in-class payload, with those conversions scheduled to arrive in the fourth quarter. The platform rollout sits on solid ground, with PV5 recording 13,116 registrations across Europe in the first half of the year.

This means the PV5 took 37 percent of electric C-segment van sales, per ACEA's data for the EU, EFTA, and UK, enough to make it the segment's top seller. At launch, Kia backs the PV5 Chassis for the United Kingdom with a seven-year/100,000-mile vehicle warranty and eight years of battery coverage.

Flexibility invites applications...As part of the PV5 Chassis launch in the UK, Kia has confirmed that the TGS Automotive Group will offer a variety of conversions, like a lightweight tipper, a dropside and a box van.

After all, with the Chassis Cab not being locked into any one body style, the aftermarket is free to dream up all kinds of mobile accommodations. Even a larger box (think something like Geotrek’s Verus) would expand on stock capabilities.

Thankfully, it has the means to do so because it offers more than enough hauling capacity. The PV5 Chassis cab boasts a payload of up to 1,005 kilograms (2,216 pounds), putting it on par with much larger trucks.

Long Range Thrills...One and a half year after the debut of the Kia PV5 lineup in production form, Kia has launched the PV5 Chassis in the UK, exclusively available in the Long-Range configurator. This is fitted a a front-mounted electric motor generating 161 hp (120 kW / 163 PS) and a large 71.2 kWh battery pack, offering an estimated WLTP range of 259 miles (416 km) between charges.

Other markets get access to the Kia PV5 Chassis Mid-Range with the smaller 51.5 kWh battery and a less powerful electric motor producing 120 hp (89 kW / 122 PS). Both Long-Range and Mid-Range models have a maximum payload of 1,005 kg (2,216 pounds), closely matching most diesel-powered midsize pickups.

 

Autonews

AUTONEWS

Glowing paint that maps air pressure could improve the design of future aircraft

Scientists have developed a new pressure-sensitive paint that delivers more accurate pressure measurements by minimising the effects of temperature fluctuations.

The material combines a platinum-based light-emitting compound with a specially engineered polymer, allowing it to respond more reliably during wind tunnel testing.

Trials showed a 25% reduction in temperature sensitivity compared with the current industry standard.

The improvement comes from chemically locking the active molecules into the polymer structure, preventing molecular clustering that can distort measurements.

The advance could help aerospace engineers make better-informed design decisions using cleaner aerodynamic data.

When engineers design a new aircraft, they need to know exactly how air flows over every surface. The pressure distribution must be controlled or the fuel efficiency, handing, or even structural safety can be affected.

A promising new technique for measuring this is by applying a special paint to scale models tested in wind tunnels, which glows in proportion to the air pressure pushing against it. However, these paints have one main flaw – they’re sensitive to temperature as well as pressure. As a model heats up during testing, the paint output can shift and introduce errors that engineers then have to unpick.

Now, a team from The University of Manchester’s Departments of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Chemistry, have created a paint that substantially reduces the problem. This new material uses a light-emitting, platinum-based compound, locked into a specially engineered plastic. The results of trials using the paint, published in ACS Applied Engineering Materials, show a drop in temperature sensitivity to just 0.3% per degree Celsius – 25% less than the current industry benchmark.  

Dr Elliott Nunn, first author based in the Department of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, said: “When you’re testing a vehicle at high speed it can heat and cool dramatically based on its aerodynamic design. By creating a pressure-sensitive paint which doesn’t respond as strongly to this heat, we’ve got something that’s much closer to measuring exactly what we want to measure. Our hope is that this will really help the engineers designing the next generation of high-performance and more sustainable aircraft and spacecraft, to make better-informed decisions through cleaner data.”

Their breakthrough comes down to how the active ingredient sits within the material. In many existing paints, the molecules responsible for glowing can cluster together, and this clustering makes the paint more sensitive to heat. The Manchester team fixed this by anchoring this ingredient, from the same family of molecules that give blood its red colour, or make leaves green, directly into a tough, Teflon-like plastic. When held in place at the chemical level, the molecules are far less likely to cluster and the paint’s temperature sensitivity drops.

Aerodynamic performance data on a truncated cone model at supersonic flow collected using low temperature sensitivity PSP. Credit: The University of Manchester

Their breakthrough comes down to how the active ingredient sits within the material. In many existing paints, the molecules responsible for glowing can cluster together, and this clustering makes the paint more sensitive to heat. The Manchester team fixed this by anchoring this ingredient, from the same family of molecules that give blood its red colour, or make leaves green, directly into a tough, Teflon-like plastic. When held in place at the chemical level, the molecules are far less likely to cluster and the paint’s temperature sensitivity drops.

Dr Louise Natrajan, Reader in the Inorganic Chemistry Group, The University of Manchester, said: “Getting this chemistry right was thanks to a creative collaboration between our chemistry group and the aerospace engineering team – basically, they knew what the paint needed to do in a wind tunnel, and we knew how to create something that could do it.”

To test their paint under realistic conditions, the team applied it to a cone-shaped model designed to produce complex airflows, then ran this model through a supersonic wind tunnel where airflows can exceed Mach 5 – 5x the speed of sound. At these conditions the model’s temperature varies drastically across its surface. However, the new paint measured pressure accurately throughout the test, with results aligning closely with the values predicted by computer simulations.

This paint was also able to help the researchers visualise the corkscrew-shaped swirls of air that develop along concave curved surfaces – known as Görtler vortices – which are important for understanding how the thin layer of air next to a surface behaves at speed.

More accurate pressure measurements at high speeds and temperatures, could translate directly into helping the aerospace industry to develop safer, more efficient transport. The team are now planning to test their paint across a wider range of conditions, to build confidence in how reliably it can perform.

Scientists have developed a new pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) capable of glowing to map airflow over aircraft with much greater precision, minimizing errors caused by temperature fluctuations. This innovation, led by researchers at the University of Manchester, promises to transform wind tunnel testing and provide aerospace engineers with much cleaner aerodynamic data.

The technological breakthrough...Traditional pressure-sensitive paints have a critical flaw: they respond to both air pressure and temperature. As the model heats up during high-speed tests, the data becomes distorted.

The new formulation solves this problem by reducing thermal sensitivity by 25% compared to the industry standard. The team achieved this result through advanced molecular engineering:

• Preventing clustering: The active molecules (belonging to the same family that gives blood its red color) were chemically anchored directly onto a rigid polymer structure similar to Teflon.

• Molecular stability: This "locking" mechanism prevents the molecules from clustering, thereby eliminating most of the sensitivity to residual heat.

Supersonic speed tests...To validate the paint under extreme conditions, it was applied to a conical model and tested in a wind tunnel at speeds exceeding Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound). Even amidst drastic temperature fluctuations on the object's surface, the paint mapped pressure with precision that matched digital computer simulations.

The mapping also allowed for the visualization of Görtler vortices—corkscrew-shaped air currents that form on concave surfaces and determine how thin layers of air behave at high speeds. 

Impact on the future of aviation...The ability to obtain ultra-precise, real-time pressure data reduces the need for expensive and complex physical sensors. With cleaner aerodynamic data, the aerospace industry gains crucial tools for designing safer, more stable, and fuel-efficient commercial and military aircraft.

The University of Manchester

AUDI

2026 Audi A6

The A6 is now available in two variants: a gasoline model bearing Audi’s TFSI designation and an electric version with the e-tron badge. The Audi A6 e-tron—which utilizes a different platform than its gasoline counterpart—was a finalist for last year's Car of the Year award and garnered significant praise from the judges. This raises an obvious question: does the gasoline-powered Audi A6 stand out as much as its electric sibling? And does it have what it takes to compete with the 5 Series and E-Class?

The A6 is entering its sixth generation, and Audi has used this transition to implement significant changes. In 2025, the A6 lineup consisted of three variants: the A6 45, A6 55, and S6. The "45" and "55" trim level designations have been discontinued; however, the 2026 model effectively takes the place of the "55," delivering a substantial boost in standard horsepower and torque—albeit at a considerably higher price point than the former entry-level "45" model.

Even so, the new A6 slots in between the BMW 530i and the Mercedes-Benz E350 in terms of pricing, while offering over 100 additional horsepower and torque compared to its German rivals. Therefore, although the starting price has risen since last year, the value proposition is significantly improved.

The 2026 Audi A6 now starts at $65,395 and comes standard with a 3.0L TFSI V6 engine producing 362 hp and 550 Nm of torque—a major upgrade over the 255 hp and 400 Nm offered by the Mercedes E350 and BMW 530i. It also represents a notable step up from the base model of the previous A6, which produced 261 hp and 370 Nm, and a significant improvement over the previous A6 55, which delivered 335 hp and 500 Nm.

But it’s not just about the numbers. The 2026 A6 utilizes Audi’s new Premium Platform Combustion—an evolution of the older MLB Evo architecture that now also underpins the recently redesigned A5 and Q5. The new A6 is an impressive 17 cm longer than its predecessor, thanks in part to a 3.3 cm increase in wheelbase. Together, these changes elevate the A6 above the previous version; when combined with updated technology and powertrain improvements, it appears Audi has put the A6 back on the right track—at least on paper.

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