My relationship with the Need for Speed franchise has always been lukewarm (ayyy) at best and I've never been particularly interested in the racing genre - except for maybe Mario Kart or Diddy Kong Racing, if those can even be counted. The last Need for Speed game I played was sometime in the early 2000s with Hot Pursuit 2 on the PS2, and I'm pretty sure I only had it because I wanted to like Need for Speed, despite not necessarily being my "type" of game. Since this is about the extent of my exposure to the series, my reaction to the announcement for Need for Speed Heat was a resounding "meh".
That said, the Need for Speed franchise must have a fairly sizable fanbase for EA to still be putting dollars into it, remarkably being well into its 25th year as a series - albeit, one that has changed ownership more times than it has entries. Additionally, with the Fast and Furious franchise now preparing for its 9th sequel, a game like Need for Speed is probably not going to get any more culturally relevant than it is today. Judging from this trailer, the folks behind Need for Speed Heat are tapping directly into that market.
If I understand correctly, by day you're a legitimate(?) street racer tearing up the rubber or whatever it is street racers do, and by participating in those races you earn money. By night - since the characters in this game are not only biological anomalies that don't require sleep, but also have a one-dimensional lifestyle that revolves exclusively around driving a car really fast - you can get involved in some underground races that are slightly less legal, which results in some seemingly inevitable police attention. Also, the police are corrupt, and instead of upholding the law or assuring public safety, they actually just want to steal your wallet.
If Need for Speed Heat sounds like your sort of bag, it releases November 8th for PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One.
