Volkswagen is considering a new pickup truck as part of an effort to restart its U.S. business, while Toyota is recalling more than half a million Camry sedans and Maserati is reconsidering V8 engines. Here is the latest automotive news for Friday, August 7, 2026.
Volkswagen Considers New U.S. Pickup
A “company source” told Reuters that Volkswagen is planning to kickstart its U.S. business with a new CEO, Marco Schubert, and a pickup truck.
The objective is to have the truck on sale before the end of the decade. As expected, the vehicle would be built locally to avoid the chicken tax.
Toyota Recalls More Than 500,000 Camrys
Toyota has announced a recall covering more than half a million Camry sedans from the 2025 and 2026 model years because of a faulty instrument cluster display that may suddenly go blank while driving.
The recall specifically affects vehicles equipped with the 7-inch display. The larger 12.3-inch display is not affected.
The repair can be completed through a software update, but the update must be performed by a dealer, meaning owners will need to bring their vehicles in for service.
Prius Sales Continue to Fall
Toyota’s Prius has continued its downward sales trajectory in the U.S., with sales down 40.3% through 2026 so far compared with the same period last year.
The plug-in version, however, is performing strongly, while the standard hybrid Prius is underperforming. Toyota has electrified many of its other vehicles, and the Camry now comes standard with a conventional hybrid powertrain.
Maserati Reconsiders V8 Engines
Maserati has moved away from its previous all-electric ambitions and is now considering bringing V8 engines back to its lineup.
The Italian luxury marque does not expect to use Hemi engines imported from the U.S. Instead, any returning V8s would be smaller engines designed to fit vehicles such as the GranTurismo and GranCabrio.
Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid Returns to Canada
Ford has restarted sales of the Chinese-built Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid in Canada.
It remains unknown whether Ford is doing so through the recently introduced quota system that limits the number of vehicles Chinese manufacturers can bring into the country.
BMW M2 CS Edge Edition Limited to 40 Cars
BMW has introduced a special edition of the M2 CS in Japan called the “Edge.” Instead of being offered in Mystichrome, the limited model receives special design touches.
Among them are a stacked center-exit exhaust not found on the regular sport sedan and a carbon-fiber engine cover. Production is limited to 40 units.
Weekend Races to Watch
- NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Iowa: Saturday at 5 p.m. on CW
- MotoGP British Grand Prix: Sunday at 8 a.m. on Fox One
- NASCAR Cup Series at Iowa: Sunday at 3:30 p.m. on USA
- IndyCar at Portland: Sunday at 4 p.m. on Fox
Those are the biggest automotive headlines and the weekend races to watch as the industry heads into the weekend.
