Good morning and welcome to our daily digest of automotive news from around the globe, starting with…

VW Will Go EV-Only In America, New Electric Crossover Coming In 2026

Volkswagen will be going EV-only in the U.S., aiming to “exit from [ICE] sales at the beginning of the next decade.” To achieve this, VW will invest over $7 billion in North America over the next five years. EV manufacturing in the U.S. will start with the ID .4 later this year, while the I.D. Buzz will be offered stateside in 2024, along with EV SUVs from 2026. There will be greater localization too, with major design and engineering for body and interior focused towards American consumers.

Cadillac Starts 2023 Lyriq EV Production In Tennessee Ahead Of Schedule

Production of the Cadillac Lyriq has started early, with the first vehicles taking shape at the Spring Hill manufacturing plant in Tennessee. The Lyriq has seen strong demand, with reservations full in just ten minutes when they opened in October 2021. This prompted GM to increase production numbers, from 3,200 vehicles to as many 25,000 in 2022.

W Motors Ghiath Smart Patrol Is A Nissan-Based SUV For The Dubai Police

You probably know them better for the Lycan Hypersport, but W Motors isn’t just about hypercars. Their latest project takes a Nissan Patrol and decks it out for the exacting demands of the Dubai Police. Dubbed the Ghiath, it’s described as one of the most advanced security vehicles in the world, with extra lights, a separate rear section, and security cameras.

Florida Revokes Titles Of Nearly 400 Illegally Imported Cars

Florida is revoking the titles of almost 400 cars imported from Japan on the gray market, which the state says were registered fraudulently. Not only will the cars not be legal in Florida, but the United States Department of Homeland Security is placing these cars on a contraband list, making them unregisterable in any state. The majority of VINs listed are for JDM cars, including the R34 Nissan Skyline GT-Rs and S15 Nissan Silvia which would have been too new to apply for the 25-year exemption.

Report Suggests RWD Mazda6 Replacement Is Dead – At Least In Europe

“The SUV trend is continuing, and even more for Mazda. It’s what’s selling best,” said Mazda Europe’s engineering and development lead, Joachim Kunz. His comments came as he played down the chances of a RWD six-cylinder Mazda 6 successor. These also may not apply to Mazda’s global plans, so there may be some hope for markets such as the U.S., but with Mazda refusing to comment on the matter, and sedans falling out of favor with buyers, is the writing on the wall?

LAPD Names Influencer Who Claims He’s Responsible For Viral Tesla Crash As Person Of Interest

In a video posted by Alex Choi, a Tesla can be seen making an enormous jump before crashing, captured on the streets of LA. With Police on the hunt for the culprit, the LAPD has now named a person of interest in the case: an influencer named Dominykas Zeglaitis. In a statement to Carscoops, Detective Calvin DeHesa from the LAPD said: “He is a person of interest and we would like to talk to but it’s unconfirmed whether he was driving or not. As of now, we are trying to talk to a different person that rented the vehicle.”

What Else Is Making The News

Bulgari Sets New Record For World’s Thinnest Mechanical Watch

The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra has set the record for the world’s thinnest watch. At just 1.8mm thick, the watch has beaten the previous record holder, the Piaget AUC. Only 10 will be made, with each featuring a laser-etched QR code that links to an NFT.

Apple Suffers Multiple Outages

A number of Apple services were down on Monday, including the App Store, iMessage, Maps, Apple Arcade, the iTunes store, podcasts, and Apple TV+. More than 4,000 users had issues accessing Apple Music, according to Downdetector.com.