Daily Brief: WRC’s U.S. Comeback in 2027, a 469-HP Plug-In Diesel Pickup from Chery, and Callaway’s One-Off Turbo 190E Heads to Auction

I love days like this—when the car world throws a perfect curveball of stories. On my desk this morning: world rallying is finally planting a flag back in America, a Chinese pickup shows up with a plug-in diesel punch, and a unicorn Mercedes 190E tuned by Callaway is about to tempt collectors. Oh, and MotoGP qualifying shuffled the deck in Indonesia. Coffee well spent.

Motorsport: Big Stages, Bigger Stakes

WRC returning to America in 2027

The World Rally Championship is officially headed back to America in 2027. That’s not just another calendar tweak; it’s a cultural homecoming. Rallying has a fierce grassroots following here—show up at any forest service road on a rally weekend and you’ll find camp chairs, scanners, and tire smoke in the pines. A proper WRC round means manufacturer firepower, fan caravans, and early-morning stage recces on gravel that’ll eat your sneakers.

Practical upside? Expect a surge of interest in rally-bred metal—hot hatches, all-wheel-drive compacts, the sort of stuff you can actually drive to work and then point at a dirt road after. I’m already thinking about what a 2027 itinerary looks like: pack a thermos, sturdy boots, and patience. The good stages are never close to the parking lot. Worth it.

MotoGP Indonesian GP: Fernandez on pole; Marquez outqualifies Martin

In Indonesia, qualifying delivered a tidy headline: Fernandez claimed pole, while Marquez outqualified championship contender Martin. That changes the energy on Sunday. Mandalika’s high-heat, high-grip window rewards confidence, and the rider who dares brake five feet deeper tends to run the table. Watching the onboard through the long right-handers, you can see who trusts their front. Advantage: pole-sitter. But if Marquez is launching from ahead of Martin, lap one could look like a chess match at 180 mph.

Trucks & Tech: Chery’s Plug-In Diesel Pickup Muscles In

Chery Stockman PHEV Diesel: 469 horsepower and a new kind of work-play truck

Chery’s Stockman has my eyebrows doing Pilates: a plug-in diesel pickup with a stated 469 hp. Diesel plus plug-in isn’t the common combo, but it makes sense if you’ve towed or crawled a trail—electric torque can help you off idle, and a diesel’s long-legged efficiency does the highway heavy lifting. It reads like someone finally color-coded the toolbox.

• Headline figure: 469 hp from a plug-in diesel setup.
• Use case: Think pre-dawn job sites Monday to Friday, then a mixed-surface ski run to the mountains on Saturday—charging at home, fueling where life takes you.
• What I’ll look for on a drive: blended braking feel (regen + friction), pedal tip-in smoothness with a loaded bed, and how the powertrain shuffles torque in low-range scenarios.

Lingering questions? A few. Software polish is the difference between “clever” and “annoying” in PHEVs, and trucks expose flimsy calibration fast—especially on washboard and with a trailer on the hitch. I’ll also be curious about where the charging port sits (front corners and muddy job sites are not friends) and where you stow the cable so it doesn’t tango with a toolbox.

Auction Spotlight: Callaway’s One-Off Turbo Mercedes 190E

The analog 1980s, boosted—headed to the block

Some cars make you slow down and grin before you’ve even turned the key. A one-off, Callaway-tuned turbo Mercedes 190E is one of those. The W201 190E was Mercedes at its most granite: tight door shuts, clear-spring steering, a sober cabin that ages like good denim. Callaway, better known for hot-rodding Corvettes, apparently built a one-off turbocharged 190E—and it’s now going to auction.

I’ve daily-driven an old 190E on truly awful winter roads; its poise is the quiet kind you only appreciate after a few commutes. Add a Callaway turbo and you’re chasing a different flavor—boost building, period-correct whoosh, and the kind of lag that teaches patience and reward in equal measure. For collectors, the appeal is obvious: period tuner pedigree, unique spec, and a car you can still enjoy on a Sunday without sweating panel gaps.

• What to scrutinize: documentation of the Callaway build, calibration notes, and thermal management upgrades (’80s engines plus boost love fresh cooling hardware).
• Driving quirk to expect: a little turbo lag and a lot of character—the antithesis of today’s torque-on-demand turbos.
• Why it matters: it’s analog Mercedes quality with a tuner twist, and there’s exactly one like it.

Today’s Headlines at a Glance

Quick Takes

• If you’ve never watched a WRC stage in person, bring ear protection and good boots. The cars are loud; the walks are long; the smiles are automatic.
• Plug-in pickups live or die by charge routines. If your weekdays are short hops, a truck like the Stockman could be sneaky-efficient.
• Classic turbo cars are time machines. Don’t chase lap times—chase sensations.

Conclusion

From rally stages finally touching back down in America to a diesel plug-in pickup that reads like a Swiss Army knife, today’s slate shows the spectrum we love: innovation with purpose, performance with personality, and a reminder that the old stuff—especially a one-off Callaway 190E—still knows how to make our knees a little weak. Sunday can’t come fast enough for MotoGP, and 2027 suddenly feels a lot closer.

FAQ

When is the WRC returning to America?

In 2027, marking a long-awaited return of top-flight rallying to the U.S.

What’s special about the Chery Stockman pickup?

It pairs a plug-in hybrid system with a diesel engine and is claimed to make 469 hp—an uncommon and intriguing combo for a pickup.

Why is the Callaway Mercedes 190E significant?

It’s a one-off, turbocharged 190E built by Callaway—combining Mercedes’ iconic W201 chassis with period tuner engineering, which is catnip for collectors.

Who took pole for the MotoGP Indonesian Grand Prix?

Fernandez claimed pole, while Marquez qualified ahead of Martin.

Will the WRC’s U.S. round boost interest in rally-inspired road cars?

Very likely. Big events tend to spark demand for AWD compacts and performance variants with rally DNA.