• Toyota’s reborn mid-engine MR2 still years away following Tokyo Auto Salon troll – report

    January 23, 2026

    Toyota has confirmed it’s actively working on a mid-engined sports car, but says it’s still a ways off. Gazoo Racing president Tomoya Takahashi said the performance division was working with Toyota to develop a model with a mid-mounted version of its forthcoming 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder performance engine, but stopped short of naming it the MR2. Between 1984 and 2007, Toyota produced three generations of the MR2, with the transverse engine sitting ahead of the rear axle and driving the rear wheels. However, unlike earlier MR2 models, the next one appears as if it will have all-wheel drive. CarExpert can save…

  • Substack now has a TV app

    January 23, 2026

    It was only 16 months ago that Substack expanded into live video. Since then, it’s become a widely adopted medium on the platform, including by its ever-growing list of cable news expats. Now, the company has decided it’s ready for a bigger screen. Starting today, you can install a new Substack TV app on Apple TV and Google TV devices. Substack describes the app’s initial launch as focusing on “reliable, high-quality viewing” for the platform’s long-form videos. It centers around video posts and livestreams from the creators and publications you follow. There’s also a “For You” section that combines those…

  • Former Sequoia partner’s new startup uses AI to negotiate your calendar for you

    January 23, 2026

    Kais Khimji has spent most of his professional career as a venture investor, including six years as a partner at the prominent VC firm Sequoia Capital. But just like several other former Sequoia partners — including David Vélez, who founded the Brazilian digital bank Nubank — Khimji (pictured left) has always wanted to be a startup founder. On Thursday, he announced that he has revived an idea he began working on as a student at Harvard about 10 years ago, turning it into the AI calendar-scheduling company Blockit. In a major vote of confidence, Khimji’s former employer, Sequoia, led the…

  • Drivers warned: Double demerits over Australia Day long weekend

    January 23, 2026

    Double demerit points are now in effect for the Australia Day long weekend across several Australian states and territories. The Monday, January 26 public holiday brings double demerits for New South Wales, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory from and including Friday, January 23. “This long weekend, police will be out in force to keep people safe on our roads. Double demerits are in place, and enforcement will be highly visible,” said NSW Acting Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Paul Scully in a statement. “Speeding, drink or drug driving, using your phone or not wearing a seatbelt are choices…

  • Fable will let you be a heartless landlord this fall

    January 23, 2026

    After half a decade of waiting, Microsoft finally offered an extended preview of its long-awaited reboot of the beloved Fable RPG franchise on Thursday. During the company’s recent Developer Direct showcase, Playground Games, best known for its works on the Forza Horizon series, shared nearly 11 minutes of gameplay footage and commentary related to the upcoming title. The new game will feature a fully open world for players to explore, with locations from previous Fable games like Bowerstone making a return. Playground didn’t say exactly where the new game takes place in the Fable timeline. If you played 2010’s Fable…

  • Palmer Luckey says the coolest thing about Anduril expanding to Long Beach is the fighter jets

    January 23, 2026

    Defense tech company Anduril on Thursday announced its plans to expand its Southern California presence with a major campus in Long Beach, the coastal town where founder Palmer Luckey grew up. The expanded campus will eventually support about 5,500 jobs. Luckey told TechCrunch that these will be new jobs, not transfers from other operations. Anduril’s headquarters is nearby, in Costa Mesa, California, and it also has a massive manufacturing facility in Ohio. The Long Beach campus will span 1.18 million square feet across six buildings, combining office space and industrial areas dedicated to R&D. It is expected to be ready…

  • Cupra Born recalled for fire risk

    January 23, 2026

    The Cupra Born electric vehicle (EV) has been recalled for a battery issue that could lead to a vehicle fire. “Due to a manufacturing issue, the cell modules installed in the high voltage battery may be defective and could overheat,” the company says in its recall notice. “If this occurs, it could lead to a vehicle fire. The range of the vehicle may also be affected. “A vehicle fire could increase the risk of injury or death to vehicle occupants, other road users and bystanders, and/or damage to property.” Cupra Australia notes a warning light “may” illuminate in the instrument…

  • Telly has only delivered 35,000 of its free televisions with always-on ads

    January 23, 2026

    Telly appeared on the home theater scene in 2023 with an unusual proposition. Its business model revolves around giving customers free dual-screen televisions where the lower screen shows non-stop advertisements. At the time, the start-up’s execs projected that Telly would ship its first 500,000 screens that summer. However, Janko Roettgers of Lowpass reported that Telly only had 35,000 sets in people’s homes at the end of the third quarter of 2025. The figure appears to come from a quarterly investor update, but Telly didn’t provide Roettgers with any comment on the report. Personally, I don’t think I’d want a free…

  • OpenAI is coming for those sweet enterprise dollars in 2026

    January 23, 2026

    OpenAI has reorganized some of its leadership and picked a familiar face to lead its push into selling AI to business customers as the company looks to catch up to its rivals in 2026. The company appointed Barret Zoph to lead its efforts to sell its AI to enterprises, according to reporting from The Information, citing an internal OpenAI memo. TechCrunch reached out to OpenAI for confirmation and more information. Zoph returned to OpenAI last week after leaving Thinking Machine Labs, former OpenAI co-founder Mira Murati’s AI startup where Zoph had served as a co-founder and chief technology officer since…

  • 2026 MG ZS review | CarExpert

    January 23, 2026

    Many people think the days of affordable cars are over – but the MG ZS Essence Turbo begs to differ. MG seems to have arrived in the Australian market at the right time, just as several city cars were axed – reducing the number of affordable models available to buyers – and leaving the door wide open for the Chinese brand. And the numbers suggest Australians are often choosing the MG ZS over competitors in the segment, like the GWM Haval Jolion and Toyota Corolla Cross, while a close battle wages between the ZS and the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro.…