Car News Roundup: Cybercab's Hidden Joystick, Type R Returns, and Bugatti Breaks From VW

A packed day for the automotive world: Tesla's robotaxi mystery deepens, Honda's hot hatch may finally come back, and Bugatti has officially left the Volkswagen Group. Here's what matters from the last 24 hours.

Tesla Cybercab Hides a Virtual Joystick

The biggest story of the day: a buried virtual joystick was discovered in the Tesla Cybercab, exposing what looks like a secret manual override mode. If real, it raises fresh questions about rider safety, regulatory compliance, and how much autonomy Tesla actually expects its robotaxi to run in the real world. A manual fallback is sensible engineering — but hiding it suggests the car may not be ready for fully unsupervised service. (Motor1)

2027 Honda Civic Type R HRC Heads to Production

Japanese reports point to a 2027 Civic Type R built by HRC on the facelifted FL5, blending Super Taikyu racing hardware with road-legal restraint. Honda's return to a proper Type R would be the most significant hot-hatch news in years, and the racing pedigree bodes well for track performance. (Motor1)

Bugatti No Longer Part of the Volkswagen Group

The era of Porsche stewardship at Bugatti is officially over. Rimac is now firmly in charge of the hypercar brand's future, ending a chapter that saw the Chiron mature into one of the most refined cars ever built. Expect a new direction — likely more electric — under Rimac's leadership. (Motor1)

Volvo Kills the EX40 in the US

Volvo is killing the EX40 in 2027, with the EX60 taking over as its cheapest EV. Meanwhile, the 2028 XC40 has debuted with a subtle refresh, better safety tech, and a mild-hybrid powertrain. Volvo is clearly consolidating its EV line into fewer, more competitive models. (Motor1, Motor1)

Dacia Spring Skips the Center Screen

In a refreshingly anti-gimmery move, Europe's newest budget EV — the Dacia Spring — drops the center display on the base trim entirely. As EV buyers grow fatigued by touchscreen overload, a simple, reliable dashboard is a feature, not a bug. (Motor1)

The Takeaway

The robotaxi debate is getting granular (hidden joysticks!), hot hatches are back on the table, and the ownership maps of Europe's top hypercars are being redrawn. The industry keeps shifting under your feet — keep reading.

Sources: Motor1, Car and Driver. All links in text.