Amid a sustained slump in oil prices, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has flatly dismissed any long-term potential threat from electric vehicles.

The cartel’s latest World Oil Outlook report (PDF) predicts that demand for crude oil will increase by 18 million barrels per day to 110 million barrels by 2040, according to excerpts highlighted by The Telegraph.

The forecast acknowledges an expected increase in the number of alternative-fuel vehicles, with particularly strong growth for mild hybrids. Diesel vehicle numbers are also slated to grow.

Despite the rise of hybrids, OPEC believes gasoline will remain dominant well into the future — powering 94 percent of all vehicles in 2040 if the prediction proves accurate.

The report does show an increase in plug-in hybrids and battery EVs, however the authors suggest traditional gasoline and diesel vehicles will continue to climb at an even faster pace. Collectively, the oil exporting countries are anticipating 2.1 billion cars across the globe by 2040, representing more than double the current estimate.

“Without a technology breakthrough, battery electric vehicles are not expected to gain significant market share in the foreseeable future,” the authors note.

Battery prices are expected to continue a downward slide, making long-range EVs more affordable in the coming years. Tesla Motors’ Model 3, Chevrolet’s Bolt and other upcoming segment peers will be relying on the trend to continue, providing buyers with several options for 200+ mile electric vehicles in the $35,000-$40,000 range by 2017.

Higher gasoline prices tend to encourage buyers to consider EVs and hybrid vehicles. Oil is relatively cheap in the current market, hovering around $30-$40 per barrel — not far above the 10-year low recorded in 2008 — but OPEC hopes to more than double the price by 2020 and hit nearly $100 per barrel by 2040.

Prices of both oil and batteries have been difficult to precisely predict, leaving some uncertainty surrounding the OPEC forecast.

Bentley has released a promotional video showcasing stages of the Bentayga‘s development.

The segment provides a glimpse of the SUV’s design process, starting with pencil sketches and transitioning to carved clay sculptures and digital renderings.

Designers and engineers worked on the concept for several years before the company formally revealed the production Bentayga this September at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The first unit recently rolled off the line at Bentley’s Crewe factory, requiring 130 hours of hand assembly. The video shows craftspeople stitching leather, sanding wood panels and installing mechanical components.

The Bentayga is presented as the world’s most luxurious and powerful SUV. Its 6.0-liter W12 engine delivers 600 horsepower and 663 lb-ft of torque, capable of launching to 60 mph in just four seconds.

Buyers face a $229,100 price tag in the US market. A coupe variant is also expected to arrive, likely delayed until 2019 or later.

Lexus has started to develop the second-generation CT, and a new report gives us a better idea of what we can expect from it.

The CT will be underpinned by the same Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform as the fourth-generation Prius that was introduced recently. The shift will make Lexus’ entry-level model lighter than its predecessor, more efficient, and more enjoyable to drive. It will also help Lexus parent company Toyota leverage the benefits of economies of scale.

Lexus will again offer the CT with a gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain built using Toyota components. Although technical details are still few and far between, the next CT is widely expected to benefit from a generous bump in power. The current model’s Prius-derived hybrid drivetrain relies on a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and a permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor to generate an unremarkable 134 horsepower.

Visually, the CT will fall in line with Lexus’ newest design language by adopting styling cues such as sharp headlights, boomerang-shaped LED daytime running lights, and a large spindle grille. All told, it will look markedly more muscular than the CT that’s currently sitting in showrooms.

Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reports the second-generation Lexus CT will bow at a major auto show in early 2017. If that time frame is correct, the hatchback will land on our shores in time for the 2018 model year.

Volkswagen will give the rugged Amarok pickup truck a mid-cycle facelift halfway through next year, a new report finds.

Updating the four-year old truck is a must because many of its rivals — notably the Toyota Hilux — were introduced over the past year. The bulk of the upgrades will be found in the cabin, where most trim levels will benefit from the use of more upscale materials and the latest generation of Volkswagen’s touch screen-based infotainment system. The updates will address what many consider to be the Amarok’s biggest shortcomings.

Keeping true to tradition, Volkswagen won’t make drastic visual changes to its first-ever body-on-frame truck. It’s safe to expect the Amarok will get new-look headlights, a revised lower front bumper, and additional alloy wheel designs. Similarly, most of the pickup’s gasoline- and diesel-burning four-cylinder engines will carry over without any major modifications.

If the rumor is accurate, the updated Volkswagen Amarok will go on sale in Europe and in other markets including Australia by the end of 2016. It still won’t be sold in the United States, but sources close to the Wolfsburg-based car maker suggest the next-generation model that’s set to arrive before the end of the decade might be developed with U.S. regulations in mind.

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has reaffirmed an extremely ambitious forecast for his company’s autonomous vehicles.

“We’re going to end up with complete autonomy, and I think we will have complete autonomy in approximately two years,” he said in an interview with Fortune.

Many automakers already have prototype vehicles that operate fully autonomously, however there is still great uncertainty surrounding how long it will take to make the technology refined enough for commercial viability.

Tesla has already moved to place constraints on its semi-autonomous ‘Autopilot’ systems after a handful of owners performed dangerous casual experiments — on public roads — and successfully found the technology’s limits. Musk acknowledges that plenty of work still needs done before the vehicles can effectively navigate in any conditions, including snowy roads or other challenging environments.

“The data is not yet there to support a fully autonomous vehicle,” he admits.

Government regulators have been slow to respond to even minor technological advances in the automotive industry, and self-driving cars represent a significant leap without a legal framework to help guide development and implementation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has taken a cautious approach, while California’s proposed rules require additional driver training and a special license.

Musk suggests regulators may take a more welcoming approach when it becomes “statistically clear” that an autonomous car is safer. Google has already released data showcasing the safety of its prototypes on public roads. Jaguar, meanwhile, has warned that any mishaps with a prematurely-launched autonomous system could “set the technology back a decade” for all automakers.

To help build data, Musk expects Tesla’s eventual autonomous fleet to operate in a ‘shadow’ mode that logs both the vehicle’s self-driving system and the human driver’s actions. The information could provide validation that autonomous cars are safer than those fully under the control of a human driver.

Tesla’s time-frame is extremely ambitious, as most automakers are expecting to launch semi-autonomous technology by 2020. Some do not expect fully autonomous vehicles to arrive on the market until 2030.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced that Takata airbag recalls are finally being completed at a faster pace.

Nearly a million vehicles have been repaired in the two-week period ending December 4, though some automakers continue to revise and expand their recall campaigns to include more vehicles and model years, including the 2005-2008 Mazda6, the 2002-2004 Honda CR-V and the 2005-2008 Subaru Legacy and Outback.

The official death tally has risen to eight individuals in the US, representing nine total globally. The incident involved a 2001 vehicle that had been recalled for years but left unrepaired. Operated for most of its service life in a region of high absolute humidity, the vehicle’s driver airbag inflator ruptured and killed the driver.

The agency has also appointed former Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General John D. Buretta to serve as a compliance monitor, overseeing the company’s efforts to comply with a consent order related to violations of federal safety laws.

“[Buretta's team] will play a significant role in helping oversee Takata’s compliance with its obligations under NHTSA enforcement orders, and in implementing the Coordinated Remedy Program to accelerate and prioritize the largest, most complex consumer safety effort in US history,” said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind.

Takata has been ordered to phase out the controversial ammonium-nitrate propellant that is at the center of the failures, if the company cannot absolutely prove that the propellant is safe. The explosions are believed to be caused by chemical degradation over time when exposed to humidity.

Toyota is reportedly ready to unveil the production Scion C-HR crossover.

The first concept debuted at the 2014 Paris Motor Show, adorned with a Toyota badge. The company suggested the design study previewed a small crossover to slot below the Rav4.

An updated Toyota concept appeared earlier this year in Frankfurt, ahead of the Scion variant’s arrival last month in Los Angeles. Both models feature a sleek profile and futuristic design elements, slightly toned down from the original design though still apparently far from production form.

The latest concepts have five doors, LED projector headlights and LED daytime running lights.

The C-HR will be among the first models built upon Toyota’s New Global Architecture platform, shared with the Prius and other vehicles. The concept’s lightweight hybrid system will be brought to market, though it is unclear if it will arrive with the first run or as a later offering. Combining an electric motor with a high-efficiency gasoline engine, the setup will have a combined output of 121 horsepower.

The production C-HR is slated to make its global debut at the Detroit auto show, sources have told Car and Driver.

The model is viewed as important for the company, particularly for the Scion brand in the US market. Toyota recently predicted that sedans will be almost entirely replaced by compact SUVs as the segment continues to grow at a fast pace. One executive bets the Rav4 will eventually outsell the Camry, among the best-selling nameplates in automotive history.

Live images by Brian Williams.