Today’s Biggest Car News: A New-Old Engine, Polestar’s Huge Price Cut, And More

It’s been a big 24 hours across the auto industry. From the return of what may be the world’s most niche engine layout, to a $198,000 Honda Civic Type R riff, to a huge price cut on Polestar 3s, things aren’t the way they were yesterday. Here, we’ll round up the biggest news stories of the last 24 hours on AutoBlog and divvy them up into bite-sized chunks that get right to the heart of the story, allowing you to go deeper if you want.

You’ve probably never heard of this engine, or the mad Italians making it

A square or U engine layout is an extremely rare engine architecture that generally features four cylinders arranged in a square block with two parallel crankshafts — one for each pair of cylinders — that are geared together and rotate in opposite directions. Now, it’s coming back thanks to MV Agusta. Italian motorcycle manufacturer MV Agusta has revived the dual-crank U engine architecture for use in its high-end boutique motorcycles. It’s a five-cylinder, with three pistons on the forward crank and two on the rear. It’ll be offered in a range of displacements, making up to 240 horsepower and 96 lb-ft of torque. To hear more about the unique configuration and its applications, check out the full story here:

We sort out which Honda CR-V trim is best

The Honda CR-V was the automaker’s best-selling vehicle in the U.S. during 2024 and has maintained this title through the first three quarters of 2025. There are also quite a few trims to choose from: LX ($30,920), EX ($33,150), Sport Hybrid ($35,630), EX-L ($35,400), TrailSport Hybrid ($38,800), Sport-L Hybrid ($38,725), and Sport Touring Hybrid ($42,250). But which is best? We think the Sport Hybrid is the smartest buy, offering increased power and efficiency, and an exterior that better balances form and function through features like black roof rails and dual chrome exhaust. It’s also the least-expensive CR-V hybrid, which nets you some benefits you can read more about here:

A Chinese Type R with a six-figure price tag?

Lynk & Co’s 03+ TCR follows the same basic philosophy as the Civic Type R TCR – take a production performance sedan and evolve it into a fully compliant touring car. The catch? A six-figure price tag. At $198,000, the streetcar-turned-racer isn’t cheap. Despite that, the Lynk & Co 03+ TCR sold out its first production batch almost immediately after orders opened in China. Power comes from a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing around 345 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque, paired with an Xtrac six-speed sequential. Get all the specs here:

Polestar slashes prices to stay competitive

The mid-sized Polestar 3 usually starts at $67,500. That’s before the brand’s Clean Vehicle Incentive. It offers qualifying buyers up to $18,000 off any 2025 Polestar 3 when financing through Polestar at a 2.99% APR. After the cuts, MSRP falls to a solid $55,400. However, it is a limited pricing adjustment. The brand’s $18,000 discount is available until January 2, 2026, and is clearly aimed at clearing the remaining 2025 stock. That matters because the 2026 Polestar 3 brings major upgrades, including an 800-volt electrical system for faster charging, a revised battery pack for increased range, and significant power bumps across the range. To read more about how this makes the 2025 Polestar 3 stack up against competitors, check out the full story below: