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8/30/2026

When cousin Eugène cancelled Armand Peugeot's early car-building plans, Armand quit to start his own rival firm Visitors to the 1905 Paris motor show "who wish above all to appreciate the progress of the car in the touring category will obviously go to the stand of the Société des Automobiles Peugeot", reported French sports newspaper L'Auto.  Meanwhile, at the stand of Le Fils de Peugeot Frères, "exhibited amid victorious and nickel-gleaming bicycles and motorcycles is the voiturette that appears to be the true expression of everyone's desires and needs" – so much so that it caught the attention of the French president, who declared: "So, here is the true popular car!" Hang on… two distinct Peugeot companies, making unrelated cars and promoting them on separate stands at the same show? How very confusing! Just what was going on? To answer that question, we first need to go all the way back to 1810 – a whole lifetime before the car was invented – when a family named Peugeot established a steel foundry in eastern France. Some six decades later, an ambitious son, Armand, undertook an engineering placement in Leeds, England, where he witnessed the birth of bicycles and tricycles – or vélocipèdes as he called them. He returned home in 1871 and by 1885 had convinced his family to enter this exciting new industry. The next invention to capture his imagination was the steam boiler, but his attempt to use this to power a cycle proved unsuccessful. At the 1889 Universal Exposition, though, he discovered a far greater solution: the internal combustion engine. Consequently Peugeot became the first French firm to build a true car, the Type 2 emerging in 1890 with a Daimler-supplied engine. Two years later, Armand went to the board with a bold plan: to invest F500,000 (£2.2m in modern money) in building a factory specifically for cars, but this was deemed too risky. He tried again in 1895, with Peugeot's car sales rising steadily, and had it approved – but just a month later, his cousin Eugène engineered a dramatic reversal. "It is decided that the production of motor cars shall be abandoned," stated the board meeting report. "Efforts will be made to liquidate as best as possible the equipment, patents, goods in production and supplies. Consequently, from this moment on, not the slightest expenditure shall be incurred other than those indispensable to the stated objective of liquidation."  With annual bicycle sales rocketing past 9000 and car sales not yet exceeding 100, conservatism had won out. Armand promptly quit the family firm to found Société Anonyme des Automobiles Peugeot, this being allowed to use the famous name and lion logo on the condition that it would make nothing with a saddle, while Le Fils de Peugeot Frères would make nothing with a bench seat. The new factory was opened at Audincourt in April 1897, creating some 400 jobs – and was expanded rapidly, because demand instantly outstripped supply by four to one. Unsurprisingly, it seems that the distinction between the two Peugeot firms wasn't popularly recognised. For instance, in 1899 we reported that when workers at Valentigney went on strike over a foreman's sacking for 'misbehaviour', those at Audincourt walked out in sympathy. As the car firm grew, the other side of this divided family began to worry about slim margins on their bicycles and lower than anticipated demand for their new motorcycles.  And so after Eugène's retirement, his successors approached Armand with a request to cancel their non-competition clause for F300,000. Protracted negotiations followed as the two sides' lawyers quibbled over which car types and branding would be allowed, but ultimately Armand accepted the proposal.  His cousins would be limited to making cheap, lightweight, little 'voiturettes' under the name Lion-Peugeot – but of course the Peugeot car brand also had a lion as its logo. Thankfully for all those confused punters, the family rift was finally smoothed over in 1910, and Peugeot has been a unified company ever since. Well, unless we're talking about the bikes or the pepper mills or the saws, that is…

8/30/2026

Jag's junior exec oozes driver appeal and smart looks, and you could have one for a song Jaguar's reinvention as a maker of luxury electric vehicles has caused considerable upset among sections of the brand's fanbase. That's not just because traditionalists are wary of EVs and unwilling to embrace the firm's new positioning but also because Jaguar's former line-ups always appealed to driving enthusiasts. In its most recent guise, Jaguar's range was made up of generally excellent sports cars, saloons and SUVs that could rival any German competitor for quality, design and engineering - even if they weren't quite so commercially successful. The XE was the entry model to this range, but also one of the best. It was intended to be the outright volume seller, but despite excellent dynamics and efficient powertrains, it couldn't entirely convince loyal C-Class, 3 Series and A4 buyers to post their cheques to Gaydon. That was a real shame. At its launch in 2015, we preferred the warmed-up XE S model to BMW's 340i, and after our road test in a more casual spec, we put it straight to the top of the class with a four-and-a-half-star rating. All of which makes it especially remarkable that early, high-mileage cars can now be picked up for £3000. Up your budget to £6000 and smart-looking Portfolio and R-Sport versions are in abundance, with modern-looking bi-xenon headlights and 17in or 18in alloys. You will notice the upgrades inside, too. SE and Prestige are a little underwhelming, with some unbecoming materials for a Jaguar. The 8in infotainment screen feels antiquated now as well. But the optional 10in screen (and same-size driver's display) creates a more modern environment, while adding Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. More than £10,000 bags a post-2019-facelift car, with new LED lights and reprofiled bumpers, which greatly modernises the look. Material quality and tech are better too: a new steering wheel, customisable dials, buttons and more soft-touch plastics were all lifted from the I-Pace and leather became standard, as did the upgraded infotainment, 360deg parking sensors and reversing camera. If you frequently carry tall people in the back, an XE probably isn't for you. The door openings are quite small and rear space is snug for six-footers. The boot is a good size, though, at 455 litres. Where Jag's junior exec shines brightest is on the move. It's more comfortable than an equivalent 3 Series and quiet enough inside, and really comes alive on a twisty road. It's easy to drive because its controls and responses are entirely in tune with a driver's expectations. The XE S features a sonorous 335bhp (later 375bhp) supercharged V6 that is fantastic but rare and unavailable after the facelift. The more common Ingenium 2.0-litre four-pot petrol can be had in 197bhp, 247bhp and 296bhp (with four-wheel drive) forms, our pick being the middle P250 model. JLR's Ingenium diesels have a bad reputation, but some are better than others. Most recommendable is the mild-hybrid D200 that arrived with the facelift, mustering a punchy 201bhp and 60mpg cruising. If your budget can't stretch that far, go for the 178bhp RWD version. Broadly, though, any pre-facelift XE is potentially fantastic value. It still looks great, drives sweetly and has all the fripperies you need. Be careful with spec (the newer the better) and you could save big time on your next baby exec express. What we said then 1 July 2015: In the past, if you'd asked us which compact executive car you should buy, we'd have had only one answer: a BMW 3 Series. Yet Jaguar has launched a car that feels as good inside, is virtually as accommodating and is for the most part better to drive. Certainly, it excels over the other main players in this sector. An owner's view Chris Frearson: "Five years into ownership of my P250 HSE, I'm currently at about 50,000 miles and, like many other XE owners, I can't imagine wanting to change it for anything else. I had to replace all the brake pads and discs at around 25,000 miles because of corrosion and I changed them for EBC discs and Redstuff pads - which are still all in excellent condition after a further 25,000 miles. Apart from that and regular servicing, it has so far been trouble-free motoring." Buyer beware Diesel engines: JLR's Ingenium 2.0-litre diesel engine has earned itself a poor reputation for reliability, but some versions are better than others and all are improved by diligent and very timely servicing. (The suggested two-year/20,000-mile interval is a recipe for disaster.) The 163bhp and 178bhp versions have oil dilution problems caused by the diesel particulate filter, so make sure you don't let it clog up - and, for that reason, avoid low-mileage cars that haven't been on longer journeys. The 237bhp twin-turbocharged lump is a potential time bomb, so go for the later 201bhp mild-hybrid D200, which has garnered a good reputation so far. Petrol engines: Early 2.0-litre petrol cars used the Ford Ecoboost in 197bhp or 237bhp form, badged GTDI. Look for silver stripes on the engine cover. The later JLR petrol Ingenium is proving reliable, as is the full-fat V6. Gearbox: The gear selector that rises up from the centre console on pre-facelift cars can get stuck, stopping you from putting the car into drive. A weak battery or faulty brake switch is often the cause. The gearbox itself is the same excellent ZF eight-speed unit you'll find in BMWs, while the six-speed manual (standard on diesels) is fine too. Electrics: Play around with the touchscreen to ensure all the different menus and functions work. If it freezes, it will need to go to a Jaguar dealer for a software update. Buyers should be prepared to put up with a few glitches and forced reboots every now and then. Also worth knowing As well as a facelift in late 2019, there were important model-year updates from April 2017 (Ingenium petrol range introduced and extra standard kit) and in 2021 (new smooth and economical mild-hybrid diesel). VED ranges from £35 a year for the pre-2017 diesels to more than £400 for the 335bhp V6 petrol. Cars registered after April 2017 will all be £200 a year, unless they cost more than £40,000 when new (the special-edition 300 Sport is among the few that did), in which case they will incur an additional £440 until their fifth birthday. How much to spend £3000-£5999: Early, high-mileage diesels. Avoid any that haven't had regular, 10,000-mile services as a minimum. £6000-£10,999: A large range of petrol and diesel pre-facelift cars. Plenty are in great condition and have been very well looked after. £11,000-£19,999: V6 S and facelifted cars become available here. Up-to-date servicing is still very important. £20,000-£30,000: Late examples, including some 24-plates and desirable Reims specials in French racing blue. One we found Jaguar XE S, 2017, 53,000 miles, £16,940: This is possibly peak XE, with the 2017 updates bringing a spicier 375bhp and louder exhaust, as well as some nicer materials. Annual VED is reduced from £410 to £200 too. This example has a full service history and lots of files documenting other work.

8/30/2026

Got an E36 or an E46? You can now give it the new car treatment with main dealer servicing Do you own a BMW 3 Series of the E46 generation, on sale from 1998 to 2006? You already know it's a classic, but now it's official, following BMW's UK appointment of four Classic partners, existing main dealerships equipped and approved to service, repair and restore your old E46 and those generations that came before it – not only 3 Series but all BMW models that ceased production as recently as 2010. You might think all BMW dealers that have held the franchise long enough must have experience with these and many of the other classic models covered by the programme (if not all of them, since it covers cars built as far back as 1960). However, over time workshop staff move on or retire and technology is always advancing – meaning that, bit by bit, experience with old mechanicals, electrical systems, paint finishes and body construction is slowly being lost. The BMW Classic partners programme aims to recover and reapply this knowledge.  To be accepted as a partner, a dealer must show specialist expertise in classic BMW vehicles, including heritage knowledge, have access to original BMW Classic parts and exercise factory-approved standards of care. BMW says the four UK dealerships it has chosen – Halliwell Jones Wilmslow, Sytner Stevenage, Group 1 Hailsham and Dick Lovett Bristol – will ensure that British customers with classic BMW models can access dedicated support locally while benefiting from the assurance and quality associated with the global BMW Classic programme. You read that right: already there are plenty of partners across the continent, a couple in the Middle East, a handful in the Far East and one in Australia. Supporting them behind the scenes, and now also the UK's four newly appointed partners, is BMW Group Classic. With its help, dealers can source genuine spare parts and, where they are no longer available, approved reproduction parts. It also issues vehicle 'birth certificates', giving details of a car's precise build date and original specification. It has a maintenance and restoration workshop based within the main plant network in Munich, albeit primarily for older, historic vehicles.  To find out what being a BMW Classic partner means in reality and how the programme can benefit the owner of a qualifying model, we met some of the people tasked with delivering the programme at Group 1 Hailsham in East Sussex.  There's a good reason we chose this dealership: over the past five years, long-serving staff technician Adam Hook and his young son have, using the dealership's workshop and bodyshop, restored an E36 BMW 328i auto, originally sold new by the dealer in 1996 and owned by Hook since 2009. The process has helped educate not only Hook but also everyone else who has come into contact with the car, which is in the showroom under a black cover, awaiting its unveiling… "Restoring this car with my son turned machinery and metal into something far more meaningful: shared time, pride and lasting memories," says Hook. However, as the cover is removed, it's not a 328i that emerges but something even more desirable and, as I'm about to discover, so meticulously restored that it defies belief. "As a 16-year-old, the car of my dreams was an E36 M3 Evo," says Hook. "I couldn't afford one, so years later I built my own." But with a difference: rather than the S50-series 3.2-litre engine that the Evo used, Hook replaced the 328i's engine with an Alpina B3 3.2 unit, mating it to a six-speed manual gearbox. Elsewhere, he upgraded the suspension with fully adjustable coilovers and fitted a new back axle and control arms and an M3 anti-roll bar, full M3 exhaust and M3 suspension arms. Inside it, he installed a genuine Evo interior.  And then Hook became a little more obsessive. He painted rather than powder-coated the running gear, his argument being that if any part is chipped, it can easily be touched up. He coated the chassis in Waxoyl not using today's clear formulation but rather the period-correct amber Waxoyl of old. Finally, he had the body resprayed by the bodyshop staff, who made sure they applied the period-correct orange peel finish.  The car looks and sound fabulous and is clearly a source of pride not only within the workshop – which has two master technicians, one of whom is currently in Munich, learning all about carburetors, points and condensers – but also the wider dealership.  Steve Packer, aftersales manager, is excited at the prospect of the Classic partner programme helping customers breathe fresh life into old BMWs like Hook's. "Thanks to the programme, we now have full access to BMW's support team in Munich and the company's classic parts inventory and approved suppliers," he says.  Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the workshop has been busy acquiring the necessary tooling and equipment, some of it from technicians who have been with the dealership for years, people who are pleased with the programme's insistence that wherever possible things should be repaired rather than replaced.  But a question remains: with BMWs being among the most expensive cars to repair, what can someone with an old E36 expect to pay for work under the BMW Classic partner programme? Packer won't discuss specifics. He says: "Every job is unique so it's hard to say but we already have our Value Servicing programme offering lower prices for cars more than three years old. For older classic cars, we say: 'Talk to us. We want to help.'"

8/29/2026

The Model Y proves driver safety technology can be effective without being overbearing Moving cars around the car park at Autocar HQ on a weekday morning can be a stressful start to the day at the best of times. Unfamiliar cars in tight spaces between concrete pillars before your morning coffee has kicked in is tough enough; throw in the beeps and bongs many modern cars make and you've got a sensory challenge to overcome on top. "Hi, I'm Deepal," said an AI-voiced Changan as I entered it, which was about as unwelcome a welcome in that scenario as you could wish for, this being the fifth car already I'd grabbed the keys for in just a few short minutes. That kind of always-on, in-your-face (and ears) 'assistance' is the tip of the modern car iceberg. Badly coded ADAS are the worst culprit for, in several cases, distracting the driver from the task in hand. For a car so technologically advanced, the Tesla Model Y, the car in which I arrived to trigger the parking shuffle, doesn't half keep things simple in how it presents that technology to the driver. I've covered the Model Y's brilliant Grok AI voice assistant in previous updates, acting like a good butler to provide humble and useful support in the background without ever being overbearing. Tesla's execution of the ADAS is also worthy of praise for how unobtrusive they are, so much so that it made me wonder whether the company had done something different when it came to applying or interpreting the regulations governing such systems. On this topic, one British-based executive for an Asian car maker whom I recently met wondered whether there was something in that, but in a cultural way. They suggested that when Chinese, Japanese and Korean car makers read rules dictating that a driver must be warned if they look away, stray from a lane or breach a speed limit, they naturally interpret that as an absolute requirement: alert the driver with maximum noise and flashing displays to guarantee compliance beyond any auditor's doubt. This American car maker is far more subtle about such things. Go over the speed limit and the detected limit sign on the display gently flashes. The lane keeping assistance fires only when necessary and, beyond one mistake of a broken white line in a counterflow system when it has come on, it has been useful rather than a distraction. I've never triggered the driver monitor so can't comment on how good that is, but I'm taking that as a compliment for having stayed alert and attentive at all times behind the wheel, officer. Tesla's software sophistication is also at play here. Both the Model Y and its Model 3 saloon sibling achieved best-in-class status in Euro NCAP testing that includes both passive and active safety. Full marks were awarded to specific active safety functions like lane support and active braking. Tesla's software applies context rather than an instant trigger. The system operates on a 'wait and see' logic, checking steering wheel torque, road trajectory and surrounding hazards before deciding whether you're carelessly drifting or deliberately giving a cyclist a wide berth – rather than panicking on an instant trigger basis the second you do something like touch a line, regardless of the wider driving scenario. Tesla isn't just conforming to the legislation. It's setting the standards and being unobtrusive in the process. If only all active safety systems adopted this approach.

8/29/2026

Dissatisfied with your various dalliances? Perhaps the time has come to settle down with a true 'lifer' Against a backdrop of global and economic uncertainty, many of us are searching for something we can rely on. Something such as a 'forever car' - all the motor you will ever want or need. It may have future classic potential. It may be simple and easy to maintain. It may promise to be as reliable as a Swiss watch. It may just make you feel better about life. Whatever it is or does, a forever car is one you can't ever see yourself parting with. There has never been a better time to buy a forever car: according to the latest What Car? Reliability Survey, over the past seven years the percentage of cars up to five years old going wrong has fallen from 27% to 22%. Of course, when they go wrong, modern cars can cost lots to put right. It's an argument for buying older and simpler - but then you risk missing out on all the latest comforts and conveniences that could make the years ahead more enjoyable. Whatever you're looking for, though, you should find it here. MAZDA MX-5 2015- Forever rating 7/10 It's too impractical to be your main car, but as a second one for weekends a Mk4 MX-5 will keep you entertained for years. Check the condition of the rear hub assemblies and beware a failing gearbox on 157bhp 2.0-litre cars (it was improved on later, 181bhp versions). Prices start at £7500, which buys an early 1.5. We found Mazda MX-5 2.0 Sport 184PS, 2019, 28,000 miles, £18,499 SUZUKI JIMNY COMMERCIAL 2018-25 Forever rating 8/10 When you're talking keepers, tough is good but simple and tough is even better. That, in a nutshell, is the commercial version of the Mk4 Suzuki Jimny. It was exempt from the stricter emissions regulations that forced Suzuki to end sales of the better-equipped, four-seat car version in 2020. It has less kit but is just as good off road (and just as bad on it) and, thanks to its unobstructed, 863-litre load area, more practical. We found Suzuki Jimny Commercial 1.5 Allgrip SZ5, 2023, 24,000 miles, £21,495 AUDI Q5 2017-25 Forever rating 8/10 Here's one car that should look as fresh in 15 years' time as it does today, as in our road test of the Mk2 Q5 we wrote that the car displays "an obsession with technical precision that gives you body panels pressed with remarkable surface complexity and fitted with perfectly aligned creases". The 2.0 TFSI petrol engine is our pick-and for the most comfortable experience, avoid trims with larger wheels and sports suspension. We found Audi Q5 2.0 TFSI 45 Sport, 2021, 35,000 miles, £22,999 TOYOTA HILUX 2004-15 Forever rating 8/10 No, not the generation that Top Gear buried under a collapsed 23-storey tower block but the Mk7, which is more up to date but just as tough. The cheaper 2.5-litre and more popular 3.0-litre four-cylinder diesels are both strong engines capable of more than 250,000 miles. Check the one you're looking at hasn't been clocked and favour a dealer with experience of the model over one who has just landed their first. We found Toyota Hilux 2.5D-4D, 2010, 63,000 miles, £10,000 MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS ESTATE 2016-23 Forever rating 10/10 Almost any generation of E-Class wagon (except the second, which rusts badly) would serve here, but we've plumped for the fifth because it has some useful tech without going overboard, some very efficient engines and class-leading load space. Just watch out for clocked cars and, on post-2021 facelift hybrid models, troublesome electrics. We found Mercedes-Benz E220d AMG Line Estate auto, 2018, 57,000 miles, £18,490 LAND ROVER DEFENDER 110 2007-16 Forever rating 10/10 Defenders have such a following that there will always be mechanics and parts suppliers able to keep them going. We're focusing on late five-doors with Ford's Puma diesel engine, offered in two capacities: 2.2-litre and 2.4-litre. Both have their problems (leaky injector seals, stretched timing chain, EGR failures) but it's a rotting chassis and body you want to be wary of. We found Land Rover Defender 110 2.2 TDCI County, 2013, 114,000 miles, £18,999 TOYOTA COROLLA 2019- Forever rating 9/10 Decent driving manners, ease of use and excellent reliability characterise the current Corolla. In addition, Toyota's Relax warranty provides renewable 12-month cover each time you have the car serviced at a Toyota dealer. The scheme applies to used Toyotas up to 10 years or 100,000 miles old. We found Toyota Corolla 1.8 VVT-i Hybrid Icon Tech CVT, 2022, 33,000 miles, £15,299 PORSCHE 911 2004-12 Forever rating 10/10 For a long time, the first liquid-cooled 911 (the 996) was a bargain, but word spread and prices have risen, so we've chosen its successor (the 997), which is better value. A 2009 refresh brought direct injection and the excellent PDK automatic gearbox. Problems can include cracked coil packs and coolant leaks, but a network of specialist workshops and enthusiast owners should save the day. We found Porsche 911 3.6 Carrera PDK, 2011, 58,000 miles, £38,500 BMW 3 SERIES 2019- Forever rating 9/10 Most generations of 3 Series have forever car potential, but we've chosen the current G20 model, because its sporty driving manners, intelligent tech and a roomy cabin will ensure you never grow tired of it and because used ones look surprisingly good value. Reliability is excellent, and if dealer servicing looks pricey, a service plan will soften the blow. We found BMW 330e 12kWh SE, 2020, 42,000 miles, £16,200 NISSAN LEAF 2018-24 Forever rating 6/10 We've seen enough 15-year-old Mk1 Leafs, some that have done more than 100,000 miles, to think a late Mk2 will have the legs to see you through the next 15 and beyond. EV batteries don't degrade as fast as was feared, but choosing a 62kWh pack over the regular 40kWh one is a good insurance. Insist on a battery health test and check the condition of the brakes and for EV-rated tyres. We found Nissan Leaf e+ 62kWh Tekna, 2020, 16,000 miles, £11,690 VOLVO XC60 2008-17 Forever rating 9/10 Examine an old XC60 and be reminded how hewn from rock it (and indeed other cars of its era) feels. There are lots of engines to choose from, but we like the lusty five-cylinder 2.4-litre D5 diesel. These XC60s are easy on consumables, so don't expect to be shelling out frequently. We found Volvo XC60 2.4 D5 SE Lux AWD auto, 2014, 60,000 miles, £12,950 TOYOTA RAV4 PHEV 2019-25 Forever rating 9/10 Toyota has had more than 30 years to perfect the RAV4. Today's model is one of the most reliable cars on sale, decent to drive, well equipped and, in plug-in hybrid form, economical. It's not pretty so you're unlikely to give it a last look as you head for the shops but at least you can be sure it'll start when you come back. We found Toyota RAV4 2.5 VVT-i Plug-in Hybrid 4WD Design CVT, 2019, 45,000 miles, £19,999 HYUNDAI i10 2020- Forever rating 7/10 This generation of i10 topped the latest What Car? Reliability Survey, but does that make it a forever car? As a second car most certainly. For a happy long-term relationship, you need the 1.0-litre turbo engine. It's available in top-spec N Line trim only, but that gets you loads of grown-up features, ranging from parking sensors and 16in alloys to heated seats and wireless phone charging. We found Hyundai 1.0 T-GDI N Line, 2023, 17,000 miles ALFA ROMEO GIULIA 2016- Forever rating 9/10 Forever trouble? In fact, according to owners surveyed by What Car?, the Giulia is the most reliable executive car on the market today. Not that it's without its problems: owners have reported issues with the bodywork, interior trim and electrics and, some of them, long waits having their cars fixed. Reasons not to have this pretty, rear-driven, sharp-handling Alfa in your life? Don't think so. We found Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0T Veloce, 2021, 36,000 miles, £23,995 BMW 4 SERIES COUPE 2021- Forever rating 9/10 Many sports cars rule themselves out as forever cars on grounds of poor practicality. Not so the 4 Series Coupé: it's a roomy car with a boot that will accommodate a set of golf clubs. If you find the ride a little stiff, buy one with the optional adaptive suspension. There's a wide range of engines but, with an eye on running costs, our vote goes to the 181bhp 2.0-litre petrol. We found BMW 420i M Sport Coupé, 2021, 41,000 miles, £23,390 BMW M340i TOURING 2023- Forever rating 9/10 The M3 Touring is more desirable but the more discreet and comfier M340i will be easier to live with. On a practical level, with the rear seats in place there's 500 litres of load space or enough for a few suitcases. Folded down (they split 40/20/40), there's as much as 1500 litres. The M340i Touring isn't cheap to buy and won't be cheap to own, but Q-cars don't come much quicker or more useful. We found BMW M340i xDrive Touring, 2024, 33,000 miles, £44,500 KIA STINGER GT S 2017-23 Forever rating 8/10 As a performance saloon the Stinger GT S was good, but as a first effort from the Korean manufacturer it was astonishing. It was even sold with a seven-year warranty a statement of faith in a model that was never going to be just pottering to the shops. Regular Stingers had 242bhp 2.0-litre petrol and 197bhp 2.2 diesel fours, but the 361bhp 3.3-litre V6 of the GT S is the forever candidate. We found Kia Stinger 3.3 T-GDI GT S, 2017, 53,000 miles, £21,999 AUDI TT COUPE 2014-24 Forever rating 9/10 The original TT was on sale from 1998 to 2006, and around 4000 examples are still in circulation. The figure can partly be explained by the fact that it's a modern classic and so worth preserving, but it's also extremely well built. So too are its successors, in particular the Mk3, which has topped the What Car? Reliability Survey in the past. The 227bhp 2.0 TFSI petrol engine has long legs and Sport trim brings smaller wheels and more forgiving suspension. We found Audi TT 2.0 TFSI Sport Coupé, 2015, 37,000 miles, £14,995 MINI COOPER 2014-24 Forever rating 8/10 A well-maintained Mini is one of the most reliable small used cars you can buy, as your reporter knows from long experience of a 2019 Cooper in the family. This car, which has now done more than 40,000 miles and is serviced by our local Mini dealer, continues to perform faultlessly, despite having Sport suspension so extremely stiff that it would have reduced a lesser car to its component parts. Its owner is so pleased they've vowed to keep it-forever. We found Mini Cooper 1.5 3dr, 2017, 32,000 miles, £7990 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER 2010-23 Forever rating 10/10 Plenty of 20-year-old Land Cruisers are still chugging around with more than 150,000 miles under their wheels, so we're confident this is one car that will go on forever. Its drivetrains may have been improved, but fundamentally it's the same simple but effective device it always was. Be sure you can live with the heavy side-opening tailgate, high boot floor and roly-poly ride. We found Toyota Land Cruiser 2.8D Active 4WD 5dr auto, 2022, 34,995 LAND ROVER DEFENDER 2020- Forever rating 9/10 To say the current Defender is the most reliable model in JLR's range may not sound like much, but the truth is it's barely less reliable than the BMW X5 and considerably more reliable than the Volvo XC90. Meanwhile, each month brings more Defenders to the market that have done more than 100,000 miles. Of course, often it's time and not mileage that deals the mortal blow, but we reckon a Defender could be your lawful wedded motor for as long as ye both shall live a happy marriage, given its multitude of talents, whether on or off road. We found Land Rover Defender D250 MHEV S, 2022, 42,000 miles, £42,960 MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS 1985-95 Forever rating 8/10 If you doubt that any 30-year-old car has another 30 years left in it, check out a W124 E-Class, whose build quality will astonish you. We recently met a chap with a 1990 E280; he bought it at 125,000 miles three years ago and has done 25,000 more. "It's been as reliable as my wife's Toyota Yaris Cross and is as comfy as I imagine it was when it left the factory," he said. We found Mercedes-Benz E200 auto, 1994, 147,000 miles £7950 RANGE ROVER 2001-12 Forever rating 5/10 The Mk3 Range Rover is well regarded by enthusiasts and with good reason, being closest to the brand ideal of a luxury car with genuine go-anywhere capability. Pre-facelift cars are prized for their strong BMW diesel engines and relative simplicity. They have problems, notably cooling issues, but are easier to fix and currently good value. We found Range Rover 3.0 Td6 auto, 2004, 128,000 miles, £3295 SUBARU FORESTER 2012-18 Forever rating 8/10 Don't expect fireworks and flowers from the Mk4 Forester: it's simply a roomy, practical and reliable estate with the capacity for some light off-roading, thanks to permanent four-wheel drive and relatively high ground clearance. In other respects it's outclassed by more conventional rivals, but for many people its unconventionality is its charm. It just works and should keep on doing so. Petrol versions are thirsty, so stick to diesel. We found Subaru Forester 2.0D XC Premium 4WD, 2017, 65,000 miles, £12,695 VOLKSWAGEN CALIFORNIA 2005-15 Forever rating 10/10 Surprisingly satisfying to drive, considering its ability to double as your home when life throws its usual curveballs, this camper van will make you glad you chose it. Go for a T5 with the right extras to enjoy swivel seats that fold into a bed and upstairs, in the roof, space for an adult or a couple of kids to kip. Ignore the basic 113bhp diesel engine and go for the 148bhp one, which is livelier but no less economical. We found VW California 2.0 TDI Bluemotion Tech Beach, 2015, 82,500 miles, £29,900 LEXUS RX 2016-22 Forever rating 10/10 The RX is a luxury SUV that's also extremely reliable. There are no diesels in the range; instead, most versions are hybrids powered by a 256bhp 3.5-litre petrol V6 and a 67bhp electric motor. There's a cheaper 2.0-litre turbo petrol but it's rare and, in any case, is outclassed by the hybrid. If you crave more space, a seven-seat version (the RX L) was launched in 2018. We found Lexus RX 450h 3.5 V6 Luxury 4WD CVT, 2016, 45,000 miles, £19,995 CITROEN BERLINGO MULTISPACE 2008-18 Forever rating 7/10 Being based on a van, this MPV is a fairly crude and uncivilised device. By the same token, it's a practical vehicle that can adapt to whatever life throws at you. It has twin sliding doors and roof storage; and if you find one with removable back seats, you will be onto a winner load space-wise. We found Citroën Berlingo Multispace 1.6 BlueHDi Feel, 2017, 23,000 miles, £9495 PORSCHE MACAN 2014-26 Forever rating 9/10 Few SUVs are as rounded as the Macan. Desirable, practical, beautifully built and genuinely sporty, it confounds most people's expectations of the breed. Some owners have complained of oil leaks on V6 ones, prematurely corroded suspension springs and troublesome infotainment, but generally speaking it's a reliable car. Buy one with a full Porsche or specialist history and it will see you through in style. We found Porsche Macan 3.0 V6 S PDK, 2015, 39,000 miles, £19,995 VOLVO 700 SERIES ESTATE 1982-1992 Forever rating 7/10 Another old faithful in the mould of the Merc W124, the estate is what you want, and there are a few around at reasonable prices. They were built to withstand Swedish winters, so bodies and interiors are tough, while engines will last 300,000 miles. At this age, it's perishables such as wiring and rubber hoses you want to watch out for. We found Volvo 740 2.0 GL Estate, 1988, 133,000 miles, £3500 FOREVER AND EVER VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2013-20 Forever rating 10/10 Familiar, sturdy, reliable and classless, the Golf is our favourite forever car. The previous generation, the Mk7, is the best for the way it combines these virtues with first-class driving manners and modern technology featuring both a touchscreen and traditional physical controls. A 2017 facelift brought more tech and even more efficient engines. On which subject, the 1.4 and 1.5 petrols are smooth, reasonably punchy and frugal. The 1.6 diesel is a little agricultural, but the 2.0 is a proper grown-up, capable of huge mileages. The four-wheel-drive R will get you through storms and mudslides, but the hot GTI has the heritage and the performance to ensure you will feel good about it long into the future. We found Volkswagen Golf 2.0 GTI 5dr, 2017, 41,000 miles, £18,795

8/29/2026

'Op Snap' is on the rise as drivers gather their own footage of wrongdoing - but we must proceed with caution The ubiquity of video surveillance has recently given us the glorious nickname ‘Clicky Ponting’, bestowed on a player from Saltburn Cricket Club who was accused of ingloriously clicking his fingers to mimic the sound of a ball making contact with a bat, to dupe umpires into giving batters caught out. He was suspended by the club as the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League began an investigation. This is serious stuff. It won’t have a shortage of source footage, either. Local cricket teams record and upload so many video highlights that there are ample examples from Saltburn club games of opposition batters looking bemused, suspicious or straight-up accusatory when given out. Elsewhere in Yorkshire, a cyclist came a cropper after sending a video to his local police service’s Operation Snap (the dashcam policing scheme that’s an increasingly common way for traffic offences to be investigated and prosecuted) claiming that a passing car hadn’t left him enough space. Maybe, maybe not, but what is true is that, a few moments later, as he overtook a parked car, his footage showed him riding even closer to an oncoming vehicle. The BBC reports that a court decided this was riding without due care and attention, and it fined him £1200 including costs. In both cases you could say video footage has seen justice done and that, because of the rise of cameras, you can’t do silly things and expect to get away with it. Many police services publish ‘Op Snap’ footage following successful prosecutions and a large proportion of them is people getting their comeuppance. So why do I feel a sense of unease about these schemes? It’s not (or not only) because nobody loves a grass – particularly given that I would be extremely grateful if, say, I was robbed but some CCTV, or a passing dashcam, or a Ring doorbell had footage that meant the police decided it wasn’t worth ignoring my plight. I do worry, though, that there are people who manipulate or instigate situations as some kind of hobby, just to send it in, and that there will be a prosecution of offences that a traffic police officer on the scene would be inclined let pass. Former insurance claim handler Shaun Jobber, who makes videos analysing dashcam footage, reports that one of his viewers was prosecuted for undertaking: in a video clip there’s slow-ish traffic doggedly sitting in lanes three and four, while his viewer’s car eases past steadily in lane two, filmed and submitted from a car in lane one. The undertaking driver was offered a remedial course, three points or the option of going to court; they decided the court option was too risky and took the course. The police service can notch this up as a successful prosecution, but to what genuine end? But my big worry is that Ops Snap various will be – or are being – used as poor substitutes for proper roads policing. Recent figures show that dedicated roads police officers now number just 3765, a fall of 25% from a decade ago. And when I wrote about this back in 2017, an officer emailed to say I’d be “shocked” at how short-handed they were even then. London’s Metropolitan Police is currently deciding whether to scrap its dedicated roads policing department to save money, which former senior traffic commissioner Beverley Bell has described as “foolhardy in the extreme”. This bit is anecdotal, I know, but three times lately I’ve seen cars being raced violently through traffic. And I do mean violently: not just a bit of light undertaking but swerving between lanes at speed. Surely caught on camera somewhere, so therefore something you’d only do if you think there’s no chance of being caught. If these cars are on cloned plates or bought but never registered to a new owner, where’s the peril? Believe the next car they swerve around could contain a highly skilled officer and they might think twice. As it is, a dashcam will see them but their plates can’t be traced to the right humans. Meanwhile, more minor indiscretions do get nabbed, so the prosecution numbers look good and the process of Op-Snapping carries on. This is low-hanging-fruit policing: the hard stuff, the expensive, serious work, requiring highly trained officers, gets ignored. Correlation is not causation, but as policing by camera has increased and roads police have decreased, reductions in road casualties have stalled. Op-Snapping is cheap and easy and it returns numbers. In principle, it’s hard to argue against. But it’s no substitute for the real thing.

8/28/2026

The Mazda MX-5 1.5 is still a brilliant sports car, but what other affordable cars let you experience the joy of ICE? Sad news this week: the 2.0-litre version of the Mazda MX-5 is dead. It shouldn’t surprise anyone, because it had been cut from price lists on the continent a few years ago. Mazda doesn’t sell very many EVs, so every gramme of CO2 counts and those extra 13g the 2.0-litre put out over the 1.5 were 13g too many. The removal of the 2.0-litre isn’t as disastrous for the MX-5’s credibility as the circumstances that befell the Ford Puma ST a few years ago. The Fiesta ST on stilts had its 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine and manual gearbox replaced with a 1.0-litre automatic, destroying any interest I – and many others, I’m sure– may have had in it. The MX-5 is still brilliant with the smaller engine, because it fundamentally has the same character as the 2.0. It sounds good for a four-cylinder, it’s very responsive and rev-happy and it still comes with probably the best manual gearbox (still) on sale. It’s just not as fast, and it doesn’t have the grunt that allows you to steer it on the throttle in the dry. Mazda’s PR people cleverly trotted out the line that the ND-generation MX-5 was designed around the 1.5-litre engine, but that mostly refers to early versions of the 2.0 being something of an afterthought for the American market and using an engine that didn’t rev as keenly. Later 2.0s were much zingier. Thankfully you will be able to specify the 1.5 with the Recaro seats and other niceties that were previously exclusive to the 2.0-litre. And even if a limited-slip differential isn’t offered from the factory, they cost only about £1000 on the aftermarket. Anyone looking for a new affordable enthusiast’s car would be unlikely to be disappointed. But it’s still sad that yet another fun engine has bitten the dust. It’s one fewer choice, and it got me thinking about what remains. What fun engines can you buy for under £100,000? Truth be told, it’s not looking good… The MX-5’s 1.5 has to be on the list, as does the 1.2-litre three-cylinder in the Suzuki Swift. In an age when lots of EVs have 300bhp-plus, what these small petrol units lack in power, they make up for in enthusiasm. Both have what I think is a really important quality: you can take them to the redline all day long without feeling like you’re being mechanically unsympathetic. Rev is what these engines do. Meanwhile, they do still have some grunt, which can’t be said for the 1.0-litre triple in the Hyundai i10 and Kia Picanto. The engine is willing enough, but it’s very weedy. The Ford 1.5-litre triple in the Morgan Super 3 isn’t quite as vivacious, but with some snorty pipes in the super-light Mog, it does serve up plenty of entertainment, so I’ll allow it on the list. The Germans still make some cracking straight sixes. BMW’s ‘B58’ and Mercedes’ M256 are both 3.0-litre units with a single twin-scroll turbo. They’re mainly found in big SUVs, often with plug-in assistance, so they tend to be in a subdued state of tune. But in something smaller and more sporting, like a BMW M340i and Mercedes-AMG CLE 53, they have that willingness to rev, but with a smooth, cultured straight-six voice. Then there are two rarefied superstars that deserve a nod. Audi’s EA855 five-cylinder has lent rally-car vibes to the RS3 for years and recently done the same for Cupra’s Formentor. There’s really nothing like a five-pot – or a V8. Incredibly, you can still buy a naturally aspirated V8 for under £100,000, in the Ford Mustang. The Coyote is an endlessly surprising engine, because it isn’t the torque dinosaur you expect – it again loves to rev but still sounds like a dirty muscle car at a gentle canter. Anyway, that’s my list of great remaining engines for non-billionaires. The petrol engine is still a long way from being dead, but most of the remaining ones are worthy, torquey, efficient things, and it’s worth celebrating the fun ones. Have I missed any? I hope so.

8/28/2026

Dealers will be shifting as many new cars as they can as the new '76' plate comes in Dealers will be focusing all their efforts on shifting new cars in September, offering bumper deals, including, in some cases, double-digit discounts. So where does that leave nearly new vehicles, whose chief attraction is their new car feel at lower prices? We compared the prices of three nearly new cars chosen at random and advertised by car supermarket Motorpoint with their new equivalents, whose prices have been slashed by main dealers. You can see the results below but, in short, the nearly new car still comes out cheapest, with the Ford Explorer bringing the biggest saving on the discounted dealer price (35%), followed by the Jaecoo 7 (16%) and the Peugeot 208 (13%). Two of our nearly new examples have done very little mileage and are just one year old. However, that's not always the case with nearly new cars, and many aren't the latest models. Also, price savings aren't the whole story. For example, Ford is offering 0% finance compared with Motorpoint's 10.9%. Determined new car buyers can negotiate free extras and upgrades too. Ian Mansfield, head of buying at Motorpoint, accepts new car deals can be tempting. "With manufacturers and dealers putting a lot of effort into making brand-new cars attractive to buyers, it's unsurprising that people might be tempted by the offers available," he says. "We would always suggest motorists run the numbers to make sure that they are getting the best deal possible, while being mindful of how quickly a brand-new car will depreciate. "The September plate change is one of the best opportunities we have to source nearly new stock. This is great news for motorists as there will be lots of choice when it comes to getting a car that looks and feels new without the price tag." Ford Explorer 210kW 79kWh Auto Premium £43,435 (list price) Dealer £40,799 (new, discounted price) Motorpoint £26,549 (2025/25, 11,000 miles) Jaecoo 7 1.6T AWD 7DCT Luxury £34,625 (list price) Dealer £33,615 (new, discounted price) Motorpoint £28,299 (2026/26, 345 miles) Peugeot 208 1.2 Hybrid 110 e-DSC6 Allure £24,345 (list price) Dealer £20,649 (new, discounted price) Motorpoint £17,999 (2026/26, 0 miles)

8/28/2026

CLA 45 goes electric with supercar-baiting pace, choice of saloon or estate and 416-mile range The new Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 is as powerful as the outgoing C63 – yet £34,000 less than the plug-in hybrid super-saloon. Pricing for the new performance model will start from £66,750 in saloon form, with the Shooting Brake costing £1000 more. Notably, it's also on a par with the price of the previous CLA 45, despite having made the switch from a four-cylinder petrol engine to a tri-motor electric powertrain. AMG hopes it can convert buyers of its previous hot hatches to electric power with the new CLA 45, which brings advanced torque-vectoring technology and an ICE-aping 'exhaust' note that even pops and bangs. The first electric 45 model is substantially different under the skin from the regular CLA. It combines three axial-flux motors developed by British firm Yasa with the larger, 94kWh battery from the forthcoming C-Class Electric and an aggressive design overhaul aimed at improving downforce without compromising range. The tri-motor system - with two drive units on the rear axle and one up front - has a maximum output of 671bhp, sent through all four wheels. The rear motors alone can combine to offer the full output, as power is limited by the maxmimum throughput of the battery. This also enables a tyre-shredding drift mode. Listen to the CLA 45's 'exhaust' sound: "Like a vegan burger" – AMG's EV exhaust is very nearly the real thing The front motor engages only when extra traction is required, such as when setting a hot lap or driving in adverse conditions. The generous reserves mean the 2.3-tonne saloon can hit 62mph from rest in 3.0sec (3.2sec for the Shooting Brake). That makes it quicker off the mark than many of AMG's most hardcore models, including the SLS AMG Black Series (3.6sec), and almost as quick as the F1-engined AMG One, which took 2.9 sec. The CLA 45 goes on to a top speed of 155mph, or 168mph when fitted with the optional AMG Dynamic Plus pack. Acceleration is slowed slightly if the 'AMGForce' simulated engine and gearbox are engaged. This system replicates the sound and power delivery of the outgoing 45 models 'M139' turbocharged four-cylinder - the world's most powerful of its configuration in series production - and runs it through a synthesised eight-speed gearbox. Vibrating motors are fitted in the front seats to ape the rumble of the petrol engine in the occupants backs, and the sound can be heard both inside and outside the car, with pops and crackles on the overrun. It has both quiet and loud modes, and Mercedes says the latter rivals aftermarket exhaust systems for audible impact. The system engages when the S+ drive mode is selected, but it is disabled in the track-focused Race mode to maximise the car's outright pace. AMG has also developed a predictive battery management system that maximises performance over the course of a fast lap by adapting power outputs based on where maximum performance is most needed: deploying full power around the entirety of a longer track would raise battery temperatures and force the car to limit its output, paring it back through bends reduces the heat and allows maximum thrust to be delivered for the length of a long straight, such as the Nordschleife's Döttinger Höhe. Braking is performed primarily by the electric motors, which can supply up to 300kW to the battery. The hydraulic system has also been upgraded, with 390mm ventilated discs and six-piston calipers up front, and 350mm ventilated discs with single piston calipers at the rear. Completing the dynamic overhaul is a wider track, which stretches the CLA by 24mm horizontally compared with the standard car, plus adaptive dampers and an active rear spoiler. The rear spoiler and more aggressive stance clearly differentiate the car from the regular CLA, but further stylistic tweaks include the optional replacement of the front light bar with a new air duct, giving a more purposeful look. It rides on 19in alloy wheels as standard, although 20s will also be offered, and at the rear end is the largest diffuser yet fitted to an AMG hot hatch. In the Eco, Comfort and Sport drive modes, the spoiler is reclined until 90mph in order to reduce drag and preserve range, but it is permanently raised in S+ and Race. Its position can be overridden using the steering wheel controls. The CLA 45 saloon is claimed to be capable of covering 416 miles between charges, while the Shooting Brake manages 398 miles. This is thanks in part to not only the large battery but also a system that disconnects the front motor when it is not needed, which reduces energy waste from friction. In the normal drive modes it is disconnected up to 100mph or until additional traction is required at the front axle, at which point it engages within one millisecond. A heat pump is also included as standard. When using the CLA's built-in sat-nav, this automatically pre-heats or cools the battery before reaching a planned charging stop to maximise the charge rate accepted by the car. This allows it to take 330kW, allowing a 10-80% refill in 22 minutes - or, according to Mercedes, the equivalent of 168 miles of range in 10 minutes. Inside, the CLA's sporting overhaul comprises standard-fit bucket seats with thick bolsters, new finishes for the centre console and seatbelts and an AMG-specific steering wheel with drive mode dials. Notably, it also swaps the rear-seat bench for two individual rear chairs, making it strictly a four-seater. Deliveries of the CLA 45 will begin next year. Its closest competitor will be the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N, priced from £65,800.

8/28/2026

Long-running – and long-absent – coupé poised for a comeback as GR's new entry model Toyota is poised to bring back the Celica for an eighth generation, more than two decades after the last version went off sale, as an entry model for its new GR performance brand.  The sports coupé is set to return as part of chairman Akio Toyoda's ambition to resurrect the "three brothers" - his affectionate nickname for the Supra, MR2 and Celica. With the Supra revived through a partnership with BMW several years ago, and plans taking shape for an imminent resurrection of the mid-engined MR2, the Celica is tipped to be next down the line.  The firm has not yet committed to a timeline, but a test mule for Toyota's 2027 World Rally Championship contender was recently spotted with a radical new two-door body. Next year's WRC rules no longer tie bodywork to a current road car, but it would make sense for Toyota to use it to promote a new Celica. Swapping from the GR Yaris the firm currently fields in the WRC to the Celica would be a return to form for Toyota, which has used several iterations of its coupé as the basis for factory rally cars over the years - winning the 1993 and 1994 WRC with Celicas. As with previous generations, the new Celica road car is expected to be based heavily on more mainstream underpinnings - and logically those would be supplied in its next outing by the rakish new Corolla, which was previewed by a futuristic, mould-breaking concept at last year's Tokyo motor show. A two-door, sporting-oriented take on its big-selling family hatchback would provide Toyota with a direct rival to the similarly conceived Honda Prelude - based on the Civic - and provide a less extreme entry point into the expanding GR line-up, which will be topped by the new V8-engined GR GT supercar.  The new model, which is being referred to internally as the Celica Sport, is expected to use the same 2.0-litre engine as the GR Yaris M concept that's being used as the mule for the new MR2, but here mounted at the front (as it has been for all seven previous generations), and forming part of a hybrid powertrain, à la Corolla. The WRC's 2027 regulations mandate a 1.6-litre engine, so the rally car is expected to use an evolution of the current GR Yaris's engine, but Mikio Hayashi, marketing manager for Toyota's GR division, previously told Autocar that the three-pot "cannot meet emissions regulations, so we have to consider the possibility of a 2.0-litre" in the road-going derivative. He said the firm was "not at a stage where we can tell you exactly what size it is" and that no decision had been made about whether to use a hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrain. The Corolla will be available with both and, like the MR2, will use a new engine that is as small as possible to allow for a low-slung body and spacious cabin. Irrespective of its exact powertrain, the new Celica is expected to be four-wheel drive - in rally and road-going forms - although there's no indication of plans to revive the GT-Four name.

8/27/2026

Lotus will also offer a V6 version of the new Esprit supercar, along with the already-confirmed hybrid V8, as part of a pledge to keep to the lightweight ethos of the brand, the company’s CEO has said. Lotus has set a target weight of 1.5 tonnes for the V8 version of the car, which is codenamed Type 135 and planned for launch in 2028, Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng told investors on the company’s second quarter earnings call August 27. The hybrid drivetrain will allow the company to conform to global emissions regulations “while preserving essential Lotus DNA of lightweight engineering and extreme track focus driving dynamics” Feng said. Lotus has previously the replacement for Emira sports car will use a V6 hybrid, but this is the first confirmation that the drivetrain will also go into the ‘Esprit’ flagship, creating a lighter weight model with a more accessible entry price.  Both the V6 and V8 engines are being developed by Horse, which is jointly owned between Lotus parent Geely and Renault. Feng acknowledged the challenge off keeping the weight low in a complicated electrified drivetrain. “Achieving that target with an 800-volt architecture, a hybrid system, a V8 engine and electric motor in just is not easy,” he said. One solution will be an ultra-lightweight electric motor. “A typical 150-kilowatt (201bhp) motor weighs between 75 and 95kg. We have leveraged Formula 1 technology to bring it down to just 20kg,” Feng said. Maximum horsepower will exceed 1000bhp, Lotus has said. The car will be engineered with an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox “designed to handle high torque while keeping weight to a minimum”, Feng said. The car will be a flagship model linking Lotus’s electric expertise with its strategic reversal back into combustion engines, which begins with the Eletre X plug-in hybrid version of the electric SUV due in the UK next year. “The Type 135 will fill the gap between the Emira and Evija, preserving the emotional connection Emira owners have with the Lotus mechanical handling, while leveraging V8 hybrid technology to approach the technical benchmark set by the Evija,” Feng said. The new supercar will be built alongside the Lotus Emira sports car at Hethel, in a boost for Lotus’s historical base in Norfolk. This is part of a wider plan to put ICE sports cars back at the heart of Lotus’s future after the company abandoned a plan to go all-electric by 2028.  The new Esprit takes inspiration from 2024's Theory 1 electric supercar concept. A teaser shot of the rear of the production car released by Lotus (below) shows the striking similarity with the concept, with the addition of two massive exhaust pipes. Lotus has been collaborating with Horse in the development of the turbocharged V8, which is expected to set a new benchmark in power-to-weight ratios.  “Since we will be starting from scratch with this engine, we will make a lot of effort to improve the volume and also the weight of the engine,” Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng said in a statement. The engine will also be used by another, as-yet-unknown Geely brand for a V8-powered off-roader, improving the economies of scale, Feng said. The new supercar will be a hybrid rather than a plug-in hybrid in order to save weight, bucking the recent trend to shift to PHEV drivetrains for supercars in cars such as the Aston Martin Valhalla, Lamborghini Temerario and Ferrari 296 GTB. Removing the need to plug in to charge allows Lotus to reduce the size of the battery and not fit charging-related componentry. Lotus head of design Ben Payne told Autocar that the new supercar will be influenced by the Theory 1, saying: “You make concepts as an exercise to gauge reaction and give a future direction of travel, and [the Theory 1] was very positively received.” The Esprit name hasn’t been confirmed but is a strong option, Payne confirmed. “When the Esprit went out of production [in 2004], it had a V8 engine, and it’s something people have asked to come back ever since," he said. "It’s still in the hearts of minds of many of our customers." The production model could feature the same McLaren F1-style three-seat arrangement as the Theory 1. “That could be an option," Feng said, "because in the past you needed to develop left-hand drive and right-hand drive, but if you put the driver in the middle, then there is no need.” The 4490mm-long Theory 1 was designed to be an approachable supercar, rather than a hypercar, like the wild 2011bhp electric Lotus Evija. For example, weight was reduced by using a carbonfibre tub. At the time, Lotus said 85% of the technology displayed in the model was ready for production. The news of the supercar is part of a wider shift within Lotus towards a mixed powertrain strategy after the company abandoned its plan to go all-electric by 2028. Feng said that, based on current trends in the global market, there should not be "a single solution when it comes to power; the power solution should be diversified". How Autocar imagines the new Lotus supercar could look Parent company Geely’s original plan for Lotus was to pivot to EVs only by 2028, but the plan was abandoned in 2024 after it proved harder than expected to convince customers to make the switch. "In the luxury segment, customers simply enjoy the thrill of driving a car with powerful big engines,” Feng said. “They somehow just don't like the smoothness of the EVs.” The new supercar has the internal model name Type 135, which was previously reserved from the since cancelled electric sports car due to replace the Emira. The ICE Emira will now continue, first with a chunky update next year that is promised to produce “the most powerful and lightest Emira built”, and then, Lotus confirmed, it will be overhauled further and adopt the Horse V6 engine; this model is likely to arrive before the end of the decade. Under Lotus's new plan, sports cars will account for a third of its targeted 30,000 sales per year, up from 6520 sales last year. With the Evija still being made at Hethel at a rate of around eight to 10 units a year, the 'Esprit' will take over as the ICE halo model. No price has been revealed, but Feng singled out the 849 Testarossa as its main rival, suggesting a figure close to the Ferrari’s entry price of £407,617.

8/27/2026

Too fast? Too furious? Not yet, says this ambitious Supra owner with Veyron-baiting ambitions If you want something badly enough for your birthday, it's often best just to buy it yourself. That's what Reece Atherton did, only it wasn't a pair of socks he bought but a Toyota GR Supra 3.0. "Two of my mates have one, and when I saw them, I thought I just have to have my own," says the 28-year-old. The manual version was tempting but Reece instead opted for the eight-speed automatic. "I like the flappy paddles and, in any case, used autos are cheaper than the manuals," he says. On that point, Reece paid £40,000 for the 2019-reg approved used car, which had done 6000 miles. That was a year ago. "I negotiated a £2000 discount so felt pretty pleased with myself. I then signed up to Toyota's service plan, which for just £30 per month buys servicing, an MOT and breakdown cover. Also, each time I have the car serviced at a Toyota dealer, a year is added to the car's warranty up to a maximum of 10 years or 100,000 miles," he says. Not that he's too concerned about his Supra's future reliability, as he explains: "I love the fact that Toyota stripped down the car's BMW engine to check it was up to its engineering and quality standards. They also stress tested it with a higher power output. That's good because I plan to have the engine uprated to 1000bhp." If he does, it will be a smidgen more powerful than the cars he previously owned: his first was a 2004-reg Fiat Punto Activ and his second a Vauxhall Mokka 1.2. "We've all got to start somewhere but even I'm surprised how quickly I've gone from those to my dream car," he says. One thing's certain: they won't have cost the same to insure. For the Supra, Reece is paying £800. "It's a bells and whistles policy with every conceivable extra. And yes, if I do uprate the engine, I'll be sure to tell my insurer," he says. I hope he's already told them about the more minor modifications he's either done himself or had done, including carbonfibre detailing in the cabin and a large rear spoiler reminiscent of that fitted as standard to the fourth-generation Supra. Reece isn't sure how much fuel the car gets through and, I suspect, he's happy to keep it that way. "It's definitely thirstier in Sport," he says, "but so much fun too!" It's his only car, although in the 12 months that he's owned it, he's done only 5000 miles, many of them visiting local club meets and car shows. "I also drive a works van" is his excuse. No matter he's driven it far enough to know what he likes most and least about the car. "I love the design. It's a beautiful car," he says. "Of course, it's great to drive too. It sticks to the road." Its least attractive feature? I sense Reece is struggling. "I know: the way the wind buffets the interior when the windows are lowered at 50-60mph." With a 1000bhp conversion in prospect, Reece has no immediate plans to sell his Supra. In fact, he reckons that now the model has been discontinued, prices of the remaining cars may rise. Personally, I think that day is some way off. What I wouldn't do is muck about too much with the engine. 'Keep it standard, Reece!' is my advice. I'm not sure he's listening...

8/27/2026

Bentley's electric era begins next month with the debut of the 370-mile Torcal - but we've had an early ride The rear passenger door motors itself noiselessly closed. Here we are, in the back seat of what company CEO Dr Frank Walliser has described as “perhaps the most considered car” in the 107-year history of his employer: the new Bentley Torcal. The wheels beneath us begin to turn - gently, smoothly, but not without an accompanying soundtrack. And in an instant we become among the very first people in the world - aside from those who actually made it - to begin to learn what it is like to travel in an all-electric Bentley. Despite this being a car both shorter and lower-roofed than the Bentayga SUV, Crewe has aimed to match the bigger car’s cabin package for things like leg room and head room; so there’s plenty of both. There’s a heavy disguise over almost all of the fittings and upholstery of our late-model prototype, but Bentley has already made it known that this car will bring plenty of developments on those fronts. Merino wool upholstery. ‘Ombre veneer’ wood trim. Plenty of other lavish materials and special effects, too, never before seen on a Bentley. From my back row-seat I can see just enough up front to pique my interest as Torcal product line director Martin Page, who is also our chauffeur, starts peeling back the covers just enough to see instruments and access controls. From the tone of Page’s explanation of his surroundings, I get the distinct impression that at least some of the potential customers that Bentley canvassed might have preferred a more traditional ambience and a bit less digital tech. What they are getting has loads of familiar Bentley gloss and richness, mind you. But there’s no rotating multimedia display, no ‘organ stop’ ventilation controls (these ones have vent airflow controlled via the multimedia display) and a great many twinkly, indirect ambient lighting effects running the full width of the dashboard and over the door panels. The vivacity of the twinkling in question - together with the backlighting of the digital instruments and multimedia touchscreen - are controlled by the car’s ‘Curation Engine’. This is Crewe’s forgivably grandiloquent term for the central drive mode controller, which is large, glassy and ornate-looking. Cycling through the car’s mostly familiar settings (Bentley, Comfort and Sport, and introducing Refresh) changes not only suspension, powertrain and steering calibration but also the heating and ventilation, seat massage, lighting and display settings. Above that sits the sizable multimedia touchscreen display. It’s trapezoidal (with slanted, rather than parallel, sides), and while it is curved, it is not actually the same screen that you’ll find in Porsche’s related Cayenne Electric; instead it is one with a less curtly radiused corner running horizontally across its middle, so it follows the arc of your wrist and fingertip more naturally as you swipe up and down.  It flashes up a full-screen, colourful, attention-grabbing animation every time you change the drive mode, though. I suggest to Page that might become a little distracting - annoying, even. “Don’t worry,” he replies: “if you prefer, there’s a Pure setting that keeps things simpler and lets you configure the suspension and powertrain settings without the visual song and dance.” Of course there is. By the time I look back up through the windscreen, we’ve travelled half a mile through Pebble Beach’s residential streets. I’ve hardly noticed any commotion or disturbance at all.  You wouldn’t call the ride pillowy-soft, because there’s more discipline and balance to it than that. There’s just a little bit of low-speed road noise from the 22in wheels to let you know you’re in motion. The merest shuffle under your backside, also, as the axles cross transverse ridges and raised bits of ironwork – but only enough to keep the wheels under control, the isolation levels consistent and the body control level and even rather than wallowy or reactive. This is ride comfort as Bentley has always done it, in modern times at least. The Torcal uses the Volkswagen Group’s PPE platform (Porsche Cayenne Electric, Audi Q6 E-tron). There is two-chamber air suspension at both ends (using slightly modified hardware compared with the Cayenne), as well as four-wheel steering and ‘dynamic ride’ active anti-roll bars.  Page explains that the powertrain combines the drive motor from a Cayenne Electric at the rear with one from an Audi Q6 E-tron at the front, for on-paper peak power of “around 850 horsepower”. It uses the same 113kWh drive battery and 800V architecture as the Cayenne, for a WLTP range of about “370 miles” even on 22in rims. And it weighs “about 2.7 tonnes”. Not bad considering the new Jag EV is set to be a 2.8-tonne car and a Rolls-Royce Spectre weighs 2.9 tonnes. The Monterey traffic is too heavy, here and now, to get any sense of this car’s performance potential. Apparently it doesn’t have ‘manual regen’ paddles. There are, instead, three modes for energy regeneration: automatic (in which the car blends it up and down by itself), 'fixed on' (a constant strength) and off (in which the car coasts on a trailing accelerator). It sounds just right, however. There’s no ‘spaceship noise’ from this EV, inside or out. Instead, Bentley spent a lot of time and money recording and studying actual V8 engine noise - and, uniquely, getting musicians to imitate its rhythms and cadences.  By doing so, it has created for the Torcal a ‘V8-alike’ synthesised engine noise whose tempo, pitch and volume changes with throttle load and speed. It’s understated in ‘Bentley’ mode, a little more forthright in ‘Sport’ and genuinely convincing either way (although you can turn it off, if you prefer). And there’s a speaker that broadcasts it, discreetly enough, externally as well as to passengers riding onboard. Driving this car will be another level of insight again - but I don’t imagine it’ll feel cumbersome or heavy. It doesn’t look that way. Our driver seems to be living almost as charmed a life as us as our circuitous route returns us to the hotel lobby, where the Torcal’s automated parking aid effectively brings the car to rest automatically, exactly where we started. I’ve got a few lingering questions about some of that digital tech ahead of the driver; I'm also keen to know whether this will be a Bentley that lets you shut out all of the electronic noise and interference of modern life quite as brilliantly as, say, a Flying Spur does.  The Torcal certainly rides - and sounds - like a Bentley should, however. And that’s a strong start.  Bentley Torcal technical specification Price from circa-£180,000 (tbc) Engine Two permanent magnet synchronous motors Power 850bhp (tbc) Torque tbc Gearbox 1-spd reduction gear, per axle; 4WD Kerb weight 2700kg 0-62mph circa-4.0sec (tbc) Top speed tbc Battery 113-/108 kWh (total/usable) Range, economy circa 380 miles, tbc CO2, tax band 0 g/km, 4% Rivals Ferrari Luce, Rolls-Royce Spectre S2

8/27/2026

Jaecoo sibling brand's first UK-bound electric car goes big on standard kit and interior space Chinese newcomer Lepas is going after the Volkswagen ID 4 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 with its first UK-bound EV, the L6. The electric SUV has a 65kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack that yields a range of 279 miles between charges and can be topped up at up to 120kW. That allows a 30-80% refill in 22 minutes. The L6 is powered by a single front-mounted motor that puts out 214bhp and 203lb ft of torque, giving a 0-62mph sprint time of 7.9sec – par for the course. Effectively a rebadged version of the Fulwin T7 sold by Lepas parent company Chery in its native China, the L6 is based on the LEX platform. This is a rebranding of the T1X structure that also underpins the popular Jaecoo 7 and Omoda 5, among several other models. Pricing has yet to be announced, but the L6 is likely to be distinguished by its standard equipment offering rather than undercutting rivals. It will have a 13.2in infotainment touchscreen, a panoramic sunroof and '540deg' parking camera as standard, and the range-topping Elevate trim will bring heated and ventilated front seats. Order books will open early in the fourth quarter, Lepas said. As such, customer deliveries are likely to begin just before the end of the year.

8/27/2026

Trekking into cold forests late at night is worth it when you get to see fantastic cars at full tilt It's a wintry night and I'm perched on a Welsh mountaintop, about 500 metres above sea level, somewhere near Llanidloes. Darkness fell some time ago, and it took the last remnants of the day's limited warmth with it: the temperature has now dropped to the wrong side of zero. I walked a few miles to find this spot, trudging through the Cambrians to find a vantage point that looks just right. In the day, the view was amazing: I could see all the way down a wide valley of bogs. But now I can't even see my thickly gloved hand in front of my face.  This might sound like a less than ideal way to spend an evening, but I'm happy. Ecstatic, in fact. And it's all because I've just heard the first echoes of a high-revving engine make their way over the distant hills, announcing the arrival of what can only be a Lancia Stratos. Beams of yellow from the headlights appear not long after, dancing across the valley as the car navigates the technical gravel track. The shrill scream of that Ferrari V6 is catching on the wind now, filling the air with one of the greatest noises of all time. The sound is ragged, reflecting the bursts of acceleration needed to keep the car pointing the right way as it traverses a twisty but steep downhill section. I hear the revs hold a steady note as it negotiates a sweeping right-hander, followed by a sharp burst as it rounds an acute left-hand hairpin. A short burst on the limiter signals that the car has briefly become an airborne object; a rush of water tells me the driver has made it through a short flooded trough; and then it passes a metre or so under the steep bank atop which I'm shivering.  The course is fast and straight from here, so the car screams past at full chat, making a noise that's simply unholy as the driver keeps his foot firmly pinned to the floor.  All I can see are the beams of light turning the pitch-black valley ahead of it into daylight and the pinpricks of red from the rear lights as it speeds away. It's a sight and a sound I will simply never forget. That said, the ranks of Ford Escorts that followed were almost as impressive, and it's why my memories of the Roger Albert Clark Rally are still vivid several years later. This is rallying, good and proper, and it's possibly the best spectator motorsport in the world. There's something so special about being left almost to your own devices, being trusted to find somewhere safe, far away from civilisation, to watch some of the most skilled drivers in the world slide their way along impossibly tight forest tracks. The typical lack of phone signal means you're cut off from the stress and worries of day-to-day life and you end up forming a nice camaraderie with your fellow spectators. No other motorsport allows you to create your own little world in quite the same way. But it's the sound that really makes it. Head into a forest and you get the wonderful effect of highly tuned engine notes bouncing off hundreds of trees at once, creating an all-encompassing shriek that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up like nothing else.  Even off the stages, back in the bustling paddocks, it's still a wonderfully open motorsport. Paddocks aren't off limits; drivers and mechanics are happy to chat once they've fulfilled their service obligations; and there's typically an almost carnival-like atmosphere in the air, because everyone is there simply for a good time.

8/27/2026

Capacitive buttons are a bugbear of many modern interiors – but also an innovation that simply didn't work Who signed this off? You might well ask, as once again you accidentally trigger a capacitive button on your car’s steering wheel. It is a prime example of when the customer voice, engineering curiosity and financial targets become misaligned.  Jeff Bezos is credited with using an empty chair in Amazon board meetings to represent the customer view. A superb mindset, because all too easily decisions can be overly influenced by internal factors. That could be the pride of an engineering department which has developed a novel concept, or the finance execs chasing reduced costs.  One company CEO has publicly admitted that capacitive switches cost less, but this won’t be the only reason they crept into many car interiors. The theoretical advantage of packaging multiple functions within a single switch offers parts count reduction, too. There is also a consistency advantage. While OEMs strive to source similar components from one supplier, this isn’t always possible. In a car with push-push switches from different Tier-1 suppliers, harmony in travel, force, and tolerance is required to deliver a common brand ‘haptic’. That's also true for capacitive alternatives, but removing the physical movement makes the job simpler.  There are many practical reasons, then, to opt for the innovation that makes a programme simpler and more profitable. But what does the customer want? Will they appreciate the ‘progress’? Manufacturers will often run a customer clinic, but with new technology there is a risk that respondents get swept up in the excitement of the newness and give their support to something, only to find that the novelty quickly wears thin.  Naturally there will be internal research: interior bucks, HMI rigs and eventually driving prototypes. The pros and cons will be weighed, but here is where bias can enter. Enthusiasm to develop something new, or to achieve a target, can be powerful motivators. Concerns may be voiced at early stages, but these can be lost in the momentum of positive energy.  But when the technology is finally in a road-drivable prototype, the problems emerge. Real-world driving is unpredictable, and drivers don’t always follow the logical process path set out in the lap tests. Now it’s clear that the exciting new technology has real downsides, and perhaps a rethink is required – which is exactly when it becomes clear that this will not be without consequences. Not because the technology has been purchased, nor because the old approach is no longer available, but because unless the programme has developed packaging designs and sourcing solutions for both options, the decision not to go with the new tech now risks a delay. Often the definitive Go/No-Go decision point can be opaque. Avoiding such calamities requires a client-first mindset and a laser focus on who the car is being engineered for and how they will use it. Every person on the project needs this mindset, but the product manager is the cheerleader for the customer voice. They must think like the client, challenge internal agendas and constantly ask why a specific development is being pursued. This isn’t about killing ideas; it is encouraging teams to solve the problems that matter most to the client. When a team has a unified common goal, it makes the inevitable decisions on priorities easier to agree on.  Car development is long and incredibly complex, and that the buyer has so many high-quality options is testament to the teams that constantly challenge themselves to put the client first. To innovate without the occasional misstep would be unrealistic; capacitive buttons are simply the industry flight of fancy that got away.

8/27/2026

A stylish drop-top that's fun to drive and easy to live with? No-brainer - but get in before winter Eyeing a convertible for summer? You won't find a lot on the new car market: waning profit margins for niche models and the popularity of crossovers mean the drop-top market has... dropped off. A few stalwarts soldier on, such as the Mini Convertible. But with prices nearing £30,000, why not consider its predecessor, which you can now pick up from about £3000? When the fourth-generation Mini arrived in 2014, it proved to be the most mature yet. The doe-eyed face, posh chrome detailing and bulbous retro lights cloaked a deeply modern 'UKL' architecture from the BMW Group, Mini's parent. It is a little larger than its predecessor, at 3.8m long and 1.7m wide, a lot more refined and more substantial in its feel. This is true of all variants but is felt most acutely in the Convertible as its new roof is far more thermally efficient and quieter than the Mk3's. With it up, you're hard-pressed to tell it is fabric over your head, rather than metal. The roof folds into a neat pile atop the derrière in only 18 seconds and up to vehicle speeds of 19mph too. Step inside and you're greeted by a different layout from that of past Minis. Instead of a speedo in the middle, a small cluster of dials (or an elliptical screen from 2021 onwards) sits behind the wheel. A head-up display was a reasonably common option when new too. Replacing the central speedo is a circular bezel with integrated ambient lighting to match the selected drive mode, and a 6.5in infotainment screen with rounded edges or an 8.8in screen as an option (standard after 2021). The rear only really has space for kids, but even that's a win because two-row drop-tops are few and far between. A saloon-style bootlid means the boot isn't as practical as a Cooper hatchback's, but its 215-litre capacity is decent enough for a couple on a weekend away. On the move, there's little dynamic sacrifice in opting for the Convertible. True, it's 115kg heavier than a three-door tin-top, but it still moves with 95% of the enthusiasm, the suspension staying firm but well damped and the steering direct. It's a bit of a stretch to say it has the clichéd 'go-kart feel', but it certainly offers more charisma and fun than most alternatives, resisting the chassis flex and scuttle shake that sometimes blight the open-roof driving experience. It's eminently drivable in town too. Rear visibility is decent and standard rear parking sensors further aid easy manoeuvring. The engine line-up consists of three petrols, a diesel and an EV. We'd stick with petrol. The diesel is very economical (60mpg isn't hard) and yearly tax is just £20, but an oil-burner's rattle just doesn't suit the romance of open-air motoring. The EV is extremely rare (only 199 came to the UK) and the 100-mile real-world range isn't very useful. The 134bhp Cooper, 189bhp Cooper S and 228bhp John Cooper Works (JCW) are more numerous and their petrol engines are better suited to the car's fizzy personality. The 1.5-litre Cooper is adequately powerful and economical (50mpg is in reach) while the 2.0-litre Cooper S suits a more sporting demeanour. The JCW isn't significantly faster, but it is quite a lot less comfy. Both the six-speed manual and eight-speed auto (or seven-speed DCT after 2018) are enjoyable to rub along with-as, indeed, is the open-air Mini experience as a whole. It's the kind of drop-top you might buy with summer in mind and then end up using all year round. What we said then 6 April 2016: "BMW could have got away with phoning one in with this car-but it hasn't. The Mini Convertible feels like a much better-engineered car than it needs to be, one of integrity and attention to detail, improved significantly over the car it replaces." An owner's view Sharon Knight: "I've had my Mini Cooper Convertible for three years after buying it through the approved used scheme. I really enjoy how it drives, especially with the top down, and appreciate how much smaller it is than most other convertibles. All it's cost me so far is routine servicing and brake pads." Buyer beware... Engine: Be wary of Cooper S models built between 2014 and 2015, because a recall was issued to repair a defective crankshaft bearing and engines were either rebuilt or replaced. Check that the whole engine has been replaced because other parts may have been damaged by the faulty crankshaft. High oil consumption is common on the more performance-focused models so check oil levels and make sure the car is serviced every year. Exhaust: Ensure the Pro exhaust on the John Cooper Works cars is fitted properly. You'll know if it isn't because the heat shield underneath the car will rattle. Suspension: Listen out for a knocking noise from the front suspension because the control arm bushings like to make a racket when they're worn. A new bushing is around £30, plus fitting. Body: Door seal rubber can rub away the paint on the inside. You can buy door-shut paint protection film to stop the issue from recurring. Also check for clouding in the wing mirrors. New glass is around £20. Roof: Ensure it operates smoothly and quickly. They don't commonly fail, but if they do, repair bills could be in the thousands. The optional wind deflector is a must-have, but easily available online. Water leaks: Again, not a common issue, but if the roof is not sealing properly and letting water in, there is the potential for big bills. Interior: Don't be surprised if the dashboard trim rattles, especially on higher-mileage cars. Also worth knowing Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were added as an option in 2018 (look for the widescreen nav) but can be retrofitted on earlier models. Options push up the price of used examples. The Harman Kardon sound system and leather seats are particularly desirable. Trim designations weren't added until 2018, and even then the Classic, Exclusive and Sport packages could still be loaded up with options. Power dropped a little in 2021 for the Cooper S (to 176bhp) but you'd be hard-pressed to notice. Insurance is reasonable, with groups ranging from 11 to 33. How much to spend £3000-£6999: High-mileage cars (mostly wearing it well). Lower-spec Coopers and Cooper Ds with fewer than 100k miles too. £7000-£9999: Early cars, with Cooper Ss and JCWs available at a four-figure premium. £10,000-£14,999: Desirable 2018 facelifted cars with the Union flag rear lights. £15,000-£30,000: 2021-facelift models with the larger touchscreen and digital dials. Low-mileage two or three-year-old cars still command nearly new prices. One we found Mini Cooper Exclusive Convertible, 2019, 40,000 miles, £12,895: This smart-looking car comes in a desirable spec with the right options and has the 134bhp 1.5 petrol. It's also got a full service history and a 12-month MOT.

8/26/2026

New updates bring a small bump in power and torque for the 1.5 MX-5, plus extra kit from the 2.0 The 1.5-litre Mazda MX-5 will receive a small bump in power and new kit, the brand has confirmed after it pulled the range-topping 2.0-litre from the UK market. The MX-5 will now put out 134bhp and 114b ft in 1.5-litre form, a mild increase of 4bhp and 3lb ft. Nonetheless, it remains far off the performance potential of the now-axed 2.0-litre, which put out 181bhp and 151lb ft.  Mazda is keen to emphasise, however, that the 1.5-litre is the engine the current-generation MX-5 was designed around. In a statement supplied to Autocar, it said the 1.5’s “light weight, responsive and accessible performance perfectly reflect [Mazda’s philosophy of] Jinba Ittai [‘horse and rider’]”. Alongside more power, it has revised the engine’s sound for what it claims to be better driver engagement, and it emits 1g/km less CO2 than previously. The range-topping Homura and Homura Plus trims levels also gain the Bilstein dampers and front strut brace that were previously exclusive to the 2.0-litre. These sharpen the roadster’s handling. However, the asymmetrical limited-slip differential fitted to the 2.0 – which further adds to its appeal as a driver’s car – is gone. The updated 1.5-litre MX-5 is due in the UK in January, which is also when Mazda UK forecasts that it will run out of stock of new 2.0-litre MX-5s. Pricing for the updated 1.5 model has yet to be announced, but Mazda emphasised that the MX-5 is “one of only three sub-£30,000 convertibles on sale in the UK”, committing to the model’s affordability.  Why the 2.0-litre MX-5 is gone As first reported by Autocar yesterday, the 2.0-litre was dropped due to stricter emissions regulations. A spokesperson for Mazda UK told Autocar: “The 2.0-litre was dropped from the European markets in 2024 due to changing emissions regulations. However, due to different derogation timings in the UK, we were able to continue with an extended sales period. This period has now ended and we will cease sales of the 2.0-litre Mazda MX-5 in the UK once the existing stock has been sold.” It remains to be seen how much longer Mazda can continue to sell the MX-5 in the UK. Although it is effectively the marque's halo model, the current-generation version is now more than a decade old and sales have dwindled in recent years, falling from around 4000 in 2019 to roughly 1500 in the years thereafter. Autocar this year awarded the 2.0-litre MX-5 a rare five-star rating in its road test, dubbing it the “definitive sports car”.

8/26/2026

Big rollout will include a Europe-specific small SUV, a new i20 and much more Hyundai Motor including its premium Genesis division has promised to launch 41 new or refreshed models in Europe by 2030 as it commits to a region that other Asian brands have begun to deprioritise in the face of Chinese competition. New models will include a region-specific small electric SUV, a mid-sized electric SUV and commercial vehicles, Hyundai executives told analysts at the firm’s annual investor day on 26 August. The company wants to sell almost four times more electric cars in Europe by 2030, with the goal of hitting more than 420,000 units annually, up from 116,000 in 2025. Hyundai has lagged sibling brand Kia on electric launches, contributing to a widening sales gap between the two marques. However, the company aims to reverse that with an EV push that starts with the new European-built Ioniq 3 later this year, followed by the Europe-specific small SUV. New combustion-engined model launches include the new i20 hatchback based on a version of the recently revealed Brazilian model as well as a larger replacement for the Tucson compact SUV, the firm’s best-selling model in Europe. The brand could also decide to import the newly announced extended-range electric version of the Santa Fe SUV, which will be built in the US and is promised to “drive and accelerate like an EV”.  Hyundai’s continuing bet on Europe in the teeth of strong rivalry from fast-growing Chinese brands contrasts with the strategy of Japanese brands such as Nissan and Honda, which have shifted investment away from the region to concentrate on other, more profitable global markets. “Europe is one of the most competitive regions on the planet,” CEO José Muñoz told analysts and journalists at the event. Car companies are struggling to match Chinese competitors on cost, particularly in electrified segments, but Hyundai says it has cut 30% out of the battery costs of its next-generation EVs. Combustion engine sales also remain a crucial part of Hyundai’s profit strategy in the region. “Every EV credit we earn protects the ICE and hybrid business alongside it,” said Muñoz. The company will also continue to build its Genesis brand in Europe, despite subdued market interest since its launch in 2021, with sales below that of Bentley so far this year. Globally, Genesis will launch a new extended-range EV model in 2027 that promises a range of more than 640 miles thanks in part to a new high-performance battery. A new hybrid version of the GV80 large SUV is also on the way, along with the newly revealed GV90 luxury electric SUV. No announcements have been made about markets for these products, although Europe is likely to be a target destination for new electrified models. Genesis has expanded its limited market coverage in Europe this year with launches in Italy, France and the Netherlands. Meanwhile, in the US Hyundai will expand its market coverage with new off-road-focused body-on-frame vehicles that include a pick-up, with styling influenced by April’s Boulder concept, a take on the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco.

8/26/2026

EX60, EX90 and ES90 upload hazard data to the cloud, pinging other connected cars close by A new software update has given the Volvo EX60, EX90 and ES90 the ability to alert drivers of other such Volvos to animals by the roadside. It uses the car’s sensors and cameras to detect larger animals, such as deer or sheep, in order to warn drivers before they may have spotted such hazards themselves. The car then uploads the positional data of the hazard to the cloud, which pings other EX60s, EX90s and ES90s within the vicinity to warn them as they approach, potentially preventing a collision. The update adds a similar system to warn of vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians or cyclists, and roadworks ahead. Other cars connected through the European Data for Road Safety programme will also be able to read the alerts. Volvo safety chief Åsa Haglund told Autocar that such systems are enabled by the improved computational power of the new models compared with the brand’s previous models.  Haglund added that a key consideration in adding such systems was to ensure that drivers are not overwhelmed by information, and that the warnings are "trustworthy". Otherwise they may fall on deaf ears. “We need to make sure that whenever we warn you, it makes sense to you," she said. "If every second time it doesn't make sense, that's when you're going to stop trusting the system.” Haglund said the new cars’ technological platforms are key to ensuring that reliability: “Now, when we have this data, the new [technological] platform with the capability of collecting that amount of data and being able to analyse and train [software models] on it, that's when we are mature enough to kind of train the system to be very precise and alert people when relevant and leave them alone when not." She added that “we [have launched it now] we know the quality and the preciseness make sense to people” because “only when you know drivers trust the system will it actually have an impact”. To that end, Haglund said Volvo will not aim to be first to the market with new functions but instead only roll them out once it is confident in their reliability. “If we acted on any idea and just sent it out there, could we be quicker? For sure. Would it make the world safer? I doubt it,” she said. False positives “deteriorate trust” in driver assistance systems, she added. More broadly, she suggested Volvo’s ambition is not to wrestle control of cars away from drivers but instead to provide support when their standard of driving slips. She said: “We’re human – we are prone to making mistakes. A machine can stay vigilant at all times. It does not get distracted, it does not get tired, and it can keep its eyes all around the car at the same time, right? That's the move we have to make; what we need to train [systems] for and make sure that we can cover all those situations that come up. What we need to look out for is that as long as the driver is in the loop, it's very clear what is needed and what is expected from them.”

8/26/2026

Aggressive sales targets were meant to give the UK a head start on EVs, but that hasn't panned out What is the future for volume car manufacturing in the UK? Toyota, BMW (via Mini) and Nissan are in a tricky situation right now. As in Germany, build costs are high compared with eastern Europe or China, meaning margins are tight. For BMW and Toyota the decision now is whether or not to spend big to adapt the factories to EVs, as Nissan has already done in Sunderland and JLR has in Halewood and Solihull. Electric is clearly the way forward, but how fast and from where to source is giving planning managers headaches. The cost to convert Toyota in Derby from hybrid to electric will run into the billions, I've been told. BMW initially planned to switch Mini Oxford to electric but then dumped that to continue to source EVs from China, presumably also due to cost concerns. Nissan has invested to convert Sunderland to build the new Leaf and related Juke EV, but it has backed away from a planned electric Qashqai and instead is talking to China's Chery to take over factory space it can't fill itself. The SMMT is pushing for "meaningful" changes to the ZEV mandate to slow the push to electric. Otherwise it warns of "reduced investment in domestic manufacturing". Reading between the lines, this is likely to mean Toyota, BMW and possibly Nissan are hinting they might leave town if they aren't allowed to carry on building combustion-engined models in existing plants until 2035 or beyond. Labour could heed this warning and carve out a special derogation on selling combustion-engined cars for those makers with established plants in the UK. This would buy time to tackle some of the cost issues, including high prices for energy and batteries. The aggressive EV timetable the UK has set under the Conservatives and Labour was partly to give manufacturers a head start on a technology that was clearly going to become the dominant propulsion source globally. But there's only one country setting the pace on EV costs, and that's China. While JLR waited for the new Agratas battery plant in Somerset to come on stream, it was supposed to source batteries for upcoming EVs from AESC in Sunderland. Instead, the batteries are coming from AESC in China, presumably with cost at the core of the decision. Allowing Toyota et al to carry on building hybrids until EV build costs match those they currently have on ICE models could save UK plants. Or at least give them another 10 years or so before the closure order comes.

8/26/2026

It's the ultimate EV test: two weeks of autoroute-bashing with the kids and the dog. How did we do? Electric cars are ideal for short commutes, but the prospect of endless charging stops made me nervous of the trek to south-western France for a family holiday – particularly with a long-suffering dog aboard. However, the BMW iX3's claims of more than 400 miles made it far more realistic, and I decided to mitigate my mileage by taking an overnight ferry to St Malo. The plan was to blast down to Portsmouth for a quick top-up in the UK, but as we reached Brittany Ferries' check-in we had barely made a dent in the range so decided not to bother. The car was slapped with a sticker identifying it as an EV – they can't go alongside lorries inside the boat – and we boarded at 8.15pm, leaving time for a leisurely dinner then a good kip before rolling out on the other side. It's a very civilised way to travel, although I was lucky to get the last pet-friendly cabin for the desirable overnight sailing. Note to self to book early next time. I haven't got my head around BMW's Neue Klasse styling yet; it works well on the i3 saloon but is a bit ungainly on an SUV. That said, we struggled with Chris Bangle's Flame Surfacing when it arrived... The doors shut with a rather un-BMW clang and the ride around town can be jittery, with plenty of wheel thump. As soon as you hit an autoroute, though, the iX3 comes into its own. There's a touch of wind rustling around the A-pillar, but it's otherwise serene. The ride settles beautifully, the seats are superb and it makes fast, unruffled progress. We reached our overnight stop in Tours, 278 miles in, still showing 16% battery, and while I walked the dog it took on 81.58kWh for a very reasonable €28.63 (30p per kWh). Usefully, as well as signage on the motorway telling you how far away the next charger is, there are petrol station-style boards at the stations announcing (very cheap) prices. From Tours it was another fast autoroute run down to the beautiful Dordogne. On sweeping, undulating country roads, any doubts about whether the iX3 is a 'real' BMW were wiped away. It breathes with the sinuous and often rutted Tarmac, making it easy to get into a rhythm, the head-up display warning of upcoming corners like a silent rally navigator. Sport settings made the ride too hard for my passengers, but the chassis composure even in Efficient mode is superb, the steering being beautifully weighted and fluid. Only after a shopping trip was there a hitch, when the car gave a few random warnings and my phone was reluctant to tether. I thought nothing more of it, but this led to a stressful evening trip to Bordeaux airport to collect my daughter, accompanied by all manner of electrical glitches. 'Driver assistance restricted' flashed up and the sat-nav said 'Function only available when stationary' (I was), so I had to rely on Apple CarPlay. Both the main touchscreen and the (otherwise excellent) Panoramic iDrive display kept going black, usually on approach to a junction on dark, remote country lanes. Fortunately, it still drove fine... After a final panic on the outskirts of Bordeaux when I couldn't find a charger, eventually paying a steep €31.90 for 51.4kWh at an autoroute services, I scooped up Elsa and got her safely back. A software update the following morning appeared to cure whatever ailment the car had been suffering. The iX3's breadth made it tricky to navigate the tight town-centre car park of Périgueux, but fortunately we escaped unscathed this time. On the way back we stopped at a Tesla Supercharger. Oddly, it claimed to provide 329kW but the car wouldn't take more than 91kW for a lethargic 47-minute charge. But, like so many in France, this charging station was in the car park of a hypermarket – ideal for a spot of shopping. With bags and dog taking up most of the boot, the iX3's frunk was a revelation. Ideal for temporarily stashing our pet's more aromatic rubbish, on the way home it also proved exactly the right size for wine bottles to stack neatly, taking a case and a half with room to spare. Only in rural areas was charging an issue. Out for dinner in nearby Verteillac, we plugged in at a car park, but in over an hour the iX3 took on only 5.8kWh. After that we decided to stick to out-of-town industrial parks, such as the Plug Inn near Poitiers, which offers 320kW charging and a key code for a lounge alongside, with super-fast wi-fi, air-con, clean loos and a coffee machine. So good – and cheap – is this network that we opted for one more stop to brim the battery outside Caen before boarding Brittany Ferries' MV Guillaume de Normandie to Portsmouth. This faster route is slightly less relaxed than the St Malo crossing but better for the return, because the 11.30pm sailing docks at 6.15am, so we were home in time for work. A final top-up took our energy use to 450kWh across 1353 miles, or a round 3.0mpkWh – not bad for a fast cross-continental run, fully laden, in 40deg C heat with cold air blasting. I've come away with two main conclusions. First, France is doing better than Britain with its EV infrastructure; and second, if the brilliant iX3 represents the future of electric motoring, bring it on.

8/25/2026

Sailing-themed super-saloon is a 10-off collector special from Alfa's new special projects arm What to do with Alfa Romeo? It’s a storied and beloved brand, but due to various factors – not least the notable absence of any convincing new products – it’s not doing the numbers. Clearly it needs some good new cars, but for the time being there is also a more entertaining option: lean into making ‘few-off’ models. That’s the idea behind Bottega Fuoriserie, which loosely translates to ‘special projects workshop’. Aside from really special stuff like the Alfa 33 supercar we drove a few weeks ago, Bottega Fuoriserie is planning a series of few-off limited-number special editions of existing Alfa Romeos and Maseratis. Because why prop up one struggling brand when you can do two at once? This car is the first of that series. It’s a Giulia Quadrifoglio, decked out to celebrate the Luna Rossa sailing team. A strange combination? Perhaps, but Alfa is a ‘technical partner’ of the Luna Rossa team, and sailing-themed special editions are nothing new. In 2017, BMW did an M760i inspired by a Finnish sail boat, and for many years Volvo had ‘Ocean Race’ versions of a bunch of its cars. Having said that, a 513bhp Giulia Quadrifoglio is rather more exciting than a diesel-powered XC60 with a fancy parcel shelf. Instead of just some badges and trim, the Giulia Quadrifoglio Luna Rossa has had an aerodynamic makeover. Alfa says it’s the most ‘aerodynamically efficient’ Quadrifoglio, which is a bit of a nebulous concept, but the idea is that it makes the most downforce for the least amount of drag. Which, I suppose, is also the kind of thing you’d want in a high-end sail boat. Here, it’s the result of front-bumper canards, underbody profiles, side-skirt winglets and a rather striking rear wing that’s faintly reminiscent of the original Pagani Zonda’s. The black and matt silver paint supposedly looks like a boat deck. Inside, it has been treated to a sailing-themed retrim, with the Sparco carbonfibre-back bucket seats getting upholstery that’s inspired by a ‘personal floatation device’ – a life jacket to you and me. The trim piece in the dashboard is made not from carbonfibre but from actual sails. It also has the car’s build number on it – they will only make 10 (well, 11 if you include this number 0 development car). They’re all sold, by the way. I sure hope the customer cars will be put together with a bit more care than this prototype, though, because it had various pieces of loose trim, a seat adjustment button that hadn’t been put back properly and fabric loosely attached with Velcro, plus the new red Alfa badges had already started to fade. That said, the grey life jacket fabric is novel and interesting and brightens up the cabin. Otherwise, the interior is familiar: a bit dated and not super-solid-feeling, sure, but it is pleasingly designed, with lots of physical controls. Those aero mods supposedly produce 140kg of downforce at 186mph (300kph), but I’d be lying if I said I could feel the effects on my test drive around the Midlands’ greatest driving roads. Apart from that, there are no mechanical changes from the standard Giulia Quadrifoglio. That may come as a disappointment, but only to those who have never driven a Giulia Quadrifoglio, because it remains a sensational super-saloon. I recently drove the new Audi RS5 for an upcoming road test, and although they are nominally rivals and both have turbocharged V6 engines, they couldn’t be more different. The Giulia is remarkably analogue and old-school. The steering is very quick, not because of variable-ratio trickery, but because it’s just very quick, and you get used to that soon enough. It has the front-end bite and body control to back up those lighting responses, too. It sends all of its 513bhp to the rear wheels only, through a simple mechanical locking differential. Initially it doesn’t feel that lairy, because unless you’re in Race mode it seems to hold back the engine even before the traction control engages. To engage Race is also to turn off all the driver aids, which I’m not sure is a good thing, but it’s again quite old-school and it certainly raises the pulse to jump straight into the deep end with no personal floatation device. It proves to be beautifully progressive, though, the rear axle gently slipping sideways when powering out of a corner, like a big Toyota GT86. Rides nicely too, for something so sporty. The engine is fine. It’s powerful and decently responsive, but all these high-performance six-cylinders are a bit gravelly and shouty, which the Akrapovic exhaust only accentuates. The eight-speed automatic ’box does what you expect of it, but as a pretty traditional super-saloon the Giulia is crying out for a manual. A six-speed was briefly offered at launch, so the mechanicals do exist. Now that would be a special edition I would like to see. Clearly, the Luna Rossa isn’t going to turn Alfa Romeo around. It’s a bit of fun, though, a nice footnote, and it’s good to remind ourselves how brilliant any Giulia Quadrifoglio is. Verdict: Slightly strange special edition reminds us that the Giulia Quadrifoglio is still a great-looking, great-driving super-saloon Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Luna Rossa   Price £120,000 (est) Engine V6, 2891cc, twin-turbocharged, petrol Power 513bhp at 6500rpm Torque 443lb ft at 2500-5000rpm Gearbox 8-spd automatic, RWD Kerb weight 1660kg 0-62mph 3.9sec Top speed 191mph Economy 28.2mpg CO2, tax band 227g/km, 37% Rivals BMW M3 Competition, Audi RS5

8/25/2026

Potential EV owners shouldn't be put off because they don't have a driveway. Here are the solutions When it comes to electric cars, almost every day brings fresh innovation that boosts both usability and desirability. From performance through to range, efficiency and pricing, the best all-electric cars no longer have to make excuses. Even dyed-in-wool internal combustion advocates are making the switch. However, while the cars themselves get ever better, the process of charging still remains a stumbling block for so many. It’s not just a question of range anxiety or even of cost, especially when it comes to public chargers: there’s also the issue of access.  For users with a driveway, charging an EV at home makes lots of sense, which is why around 90% of owners refill their car batteries this way. Not only is it cheaper thanks to lower rates for domestic electricity, but it’s also more convenient because you can charge when the car would otherwise be doing nothing, such as overnight when you’re asleep. So, what’s the problem? Well, when you consider that over 40% of households in the UK don’t have access to off-street parking, it becomes clear that plenty of potential EV converts are being put off making a purchase. Yet dig a little deeper and you’ll find that driving an electric car and having to park on the road shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. In fact, read on and you’ll find that it could be easier to do than you think. Can I run a cable across the pavement? In theory, the easiest solution is simply to run a cable from your property, across the pavement and then plug into your car at the kerbside. Yet there are some hazards – literal tripping ones as well those of the legal kind – to be aware of if you're considering this option. On paper there’s nothing wrong with doing this, but there are some guidelines you should follow. First off, you should make sure the cable is laid as flat as possible, and when charging is complete, the cable needs to be removed immediately. You should also only plug into a ground floor or basement power supply. Hanging a cable from a first floor window is very much frowned upon. If there’s no other choice to do this, then you can consider a raised cable protector, like those often used on pavements where roadworks are being undertaken. It’ll need to be made of tough non-slip plastic and be finished in contrasting colours, such as yellow and black, for maximum visibility. Bear in mind, however, that you’ll still need to take the protector and cable up every time you finish charging, which is a bit of a faff. From the point of view of the charger itself, it’s also worth considering the length of the charging cable, especially if you’re using the three-pin domestic unit. Most won’t have cables that are long enough to stretch from the house to the car, and using an extension cord is forbidden by most EV manufacturers. In terms of legislation, it’s not illegal to run the cable across the pavement, but you must ensure it doesn’t cause a danger or nuisance to pedestrians. Perhaps most importantly of all, if someone does trip and injures themselves, you will be held legally responsible. As a result, councils will caution against this practice, although only a few ban it outright. However, over the past couple of years, an increasing number of councils and companies have started offering services to install dedicated channels for routing charging cablings underneath footpaths - like that from Kerbo Charge below. Essentially running from the boundary of a property to the kerbside, these systems virtually eliminate trip hazards, allowing you to plug in and power up even if you haven’t got a driveway. The actual installation is fairly straightforward, but you’ll have to jump through a few bureaucratic hoops before the electricity can start flowing. First you’ll need to get permission from your local council. (Some only allow connection to houses rather than flats, while almost all stipulate you must have access to legal on-road parking directly outside your property – so no restrictions such as double yellow lines.)  For most authorities, the price for installing it is around £1200, which doesn’t include the admin fee of a few hundred pounds for considering your application. Then, depending on your council, you could face an annual licence or upkeep fee, usually of around £100. That said, some councils, such as Enfield in north London, will offer to subsidise some of the cost – in this case providing a £480 incentive, bringing the job down to £750. The London Borough of Richmond is even more generous and is currently knocking a £1000 off its usual £1250 fee. Crucially, by having a charging channel installed, you’ll also be eligible for a separate government grant of up to £500 to cover the cost of buying and fitting a wallbox charger at you home. What about public charging? Perhaps the most straightforward answer to the problem is to plug into a public charger. You don’t need to run cables across pavements or park inconsiderately to make the plug reach: simply roll up to a space and let the electricity flow. Obviously this will involve some research of your local area to find out where the most convenient sites are and you’ll pay more for the energy than you do at home, but it should be largely hassle-free, more so when you consider that the range of EV cars is improving all the time, meaning fewer requirements to top-up the battery. So what are your other options? For the quickest charging you’ll need to find a rapid-charging hub, where in many cases you can get a full charge in a compatible vehicle in under an hour. For most people doing lots of short hops, this should mean you won’t need to top up again for a week or two. However, most of these sites tend to be out of town, so you’ll need to make a special trip just to plug in. It’s also worth considering the health of the battery, because frequent rapid charges will result in a quicker degradation in the cell’s efficiency. And of course this sort of charging costs more, with companies such as Ionity charging up to 83p per kWh – a figure that starts to make you think a traditional petrol or diesel car might make more sense, even at today’s inflated fuel prices. Most of the public fast charging network operators offer subscription models that slash the kWh pricing in return for a fixed monthly fee. For drivers racking up the miles all over the country, this could make sense, but do your sums before committing. The next option is on-street chargers, which look a little like high-tech parking meters. There are providers to choose from and finding them is straightforward thanks to smartphone apps such as Zap Map, which not only highlight their location but also tell you whether they are working and available. On the whole, these tend to be 3kW slow chargers like the three-pin domestic type, meaning something like a Tesla Model 3 would take 24 hours to charge. And although there don’t tend to be any time restrictions on remaining plugged in, EV etiquette dictates a few hours at most – so you can’t leave your car charging overnight or while you’re at work in the day. Further opportunities to charge are offered by lamp-post chargers, which are as straightforward as they sound. Simply put, these feature a transformer with a socket and control unit that are bolted straight to the street lighting and take its electricity feed. Accessed by using an app, they usually offer between 3kW and 5kW slow charging and are relatively cheap and easy to install.  Brighton & Hove council led the way with these types of chargers a few years ago and plans to have 6000 units in operation by 2027. Many councils across the UK have followed suit, gradually rolling out these low-powered chargers. However, unlike dedicated roadside chargers, a number of these units are not attached to dedicated EV parking bays, so you may find a combustion-engined car parked there instead. On the plus side, there will be less pressure to move on once hooked up to the mains. In terms of cost, prices vary depending on the provider, but like everything in life, you’ll pay a lot more than you did only a few years ago. Currently, most providers charge around 55p per kWh, which is around double the rate of just four years ago. As a result, a few councils have got in hot water, with Bristol being singled out earlier this year for charging prices that were around 10 times that of charging at home. Whatever the cost, there are different ways to fork out for the electricity. Some units are pay as you go, allowing you to simply arrive, plug in and then use a contactless bank card to pay. Others require a monthly or annual subscription but with a lower price for every kWh used. Most now can be accessed using a smartphone app, but there are a small number that still require an RFID card (radio frequency identifcation – essentially a card or fob that allows you to unlock the charger). Also, be aware that most on-street chargers are untethered, so you’ll need to remember to keep your own cable in the boot. However, this does mean most will accept any sort of charging plug. Another option is to keep the cells topped up when you do your weekly shop or head off for an evening out. Many supermarkets are now installing chargers in their car parks, allowing you to plug in while you get your household essentials. In the early days retailers such as Tesco even offered free charging, but now almost all require payment. So at Tesco you’ll pay 44p per kWh for its basic 7kW chargers, while faster 75kWh units are 75p per kWh. What if there are no public chargers near my apartment? If all the above options aren't possible or don't appeal, you could consider a charger sharing scheme. There are more than million home charging points in the UK and they’re not all being used at the same time. Smartphone apps such as Co-Charger and Plug-Share highlight locations with domestic wallbox chargers and off-road parking that are close by and are owned by fellow EV drivers who are willing to let others use them for a fee. Prices vary as hosts can set their minimum price per kWh, but it’s often cheaper than public charging and you can compare the pricing of different venues on the app.

8/25/2026

Drop-top will remain on sale with a 1.5-litre engine, but you'll have to move quickly to get the 2.0 The range-topping 2.0-litre version of the Mazda MX-5 has been axed in the UK, Autocar can reveal. This means the MX-5 will be available with only the 130bhp 1.5-litre once existing stocks of the 181bhp 2.0-litre model have been sold. The 1.5-litre's set-up also forgoes a limited-slip differential, a feature that adds to the MX-5's appeal as a driver’s car. A spokesperson for Mazda UK told Autocar: “The 2.0-litre was dropped from the European markets in 2024 due to changing emissions regulations. However, due to different derogation timings in the UK, we were able to continue with an extended sales period. This period has now ended and we will cease sales of the 2.0-litre Mazda MX-5 in the UK once the existing stock has been sold. “We have sufficient stock of 2.0-litre models to meet anticipated customer demand until around January 2027, while the 1.5-litre Mazda MX-5 will continue to be available in the UK. “The 1.5-litre engine remains at the heart of the MX-5. The current-generation MX-5 was originally developed around this engine, with its light weight, responsive and accessible performance perfectly reflecting [Mazda’s philosophy of] Jinba Ittai [‘horse and rider’]. “The continuation of the 1.5-litre ensures customers can continue to enjoy the lightweight, engaging and fun-to-drive experience that has defined the Mazda MX-5 for more than 35 years and continues to win awards as one of the best driving cars on the road today.” Offering only a lower-polluting engine will also help Mazda to comply with the UK’s zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate. The 2.0-litre emits 153g/km compared with the 140g/km put out by the 1.5. Although the ZEV mandate concerns the nation’s EV sales, it also rewards manufacturers for making big cuts to their fleets’ emissions. The Japanese-market 1.5 was recently updated to raise its outputs to 134bhp and 114lb ft – mild increases of 4bhp and 3lb ft – while also reducing its fuel consumption. The UK is expected to receive this upgrade in due course.  It remains to be seen how much longer Mazda can continue to sell the MX-5 in the UK. Although it is effectively Mazda’s halo model, it is now more than a decade old and sales have dwindled in recent years, falling from around 4000 in 2019 to roughly 1500 in the years thereafter. Autocar this year awarded the 2.0-litre MX-5 a rare five-star rating in its road test, dubbing it the “definitive sports car”.

8/25/2026

Aero tweaks, LFP battery chemistry and fresh options for retro electric supermini's second birthday The Renault 5 has received a range boost and a choice of new colours as part of a light update aimed at boosting its competitive edge against new rivals. After two years on sale, the retro electric supermini has been made more efficient by slicker new mirrors and lower body trim, which means both versions now crack slightly more miles per charge. The entry-level Urban Range variant, with a 40kWh battery, now manages 196 miles officially (up three miles), while the more popular 52kWh Comfort Range version has had its range boosted from 255 to 267 miles. Renault has also announced that the entry-level car will swap its 40kWh battery for the smaller Twingo's 36.5kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) pack in the coming weeks, as previously reported by Autocar. This is said to be more energy-dense than the current nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery, so the car will concede just six miles of range. It will be capable of charging at up to 6.6kW domestically or up to 80kW on a public fast charger - slightly slower than the other variant. LFP batteries are cheaper than NMC ones, but Renault has yet to confirm whether this new entry-level model, dubbed Five, will cost less (if it comes to the UK) than the current cheapest 5, which starts at £21,495. The technical tweaks come alongside the addition of new personalisation options, including a new shade of red borrowed from the closely related Nissan Micra EV, alongside which the 5 is built in Douai, France. Buyers can also now specify a star-patterned roof and have the choice of a grey roofline, in addition to red. Techno and Iconic trims also come with the option of gold wheels, which in combination with the midnight blue paint (above) are reminiscent of those fitted to the 1990s Clio Williams hot hatch. Inside, the seats in Iconic cars are now finished in blue and grey, rather than yellow. There's also a new wireless phone charger, said to be capable of adding 50% of battery to your phone in an hour while preventing overheating.  Plus, the Multi-Sense drive mode selector button has been removed, as the 5 now gets a Smart function that adjusts the driving mode according to throttle inputs. You can still change between Sport, Eco, Comfort and Individual modes using the touchscreen or voice control.  A Renault spokesperson told Autocar that plans to launch the updated 5 in the UK remain "under review", with no timings or specific trim details given at this stage.

8/25/2026

The Czech firm has been present in the UK for more than a century, and finally wants you to know how to pronounce its name. But why? My mum was watching television the other day when an advert for a car firm caught her eye and prompted her to contact me with a question: ‘Are Skoda really trying to tell me how I should pronounce Skoda?’ Well, yes, mum, it turns out they are, and I think you’ll find you should actually be calling them Shhhkoda. Once I’d convinced Professor Attwood that I wasn’t trying to shush her but employ the ‘correct’ pronunciation of Skoda, she still had questions. Is Shhhkoda really how you’re supposed to pronounce it? Does it really matter? And why is Skoda, sorry, Shhhkoda telling people now anyway? After all, Skoda celebrated its 130th birthday last year and has been selling cars in the UK since the early 1900s (you can read more about the brand’s history here). It feels slightly odd to not worry about people pronouncing your name wrong for more than a century before deciding to try and politely correct them. And yet, here is Skoda with a minute-long TV advert, accompanied by media and marketing campaigns, billboards and social media posts, trying to push the sssh into Shhhkoda. And perhaps Autocar has to admit a small bit of guilt here. After all, the reason Skoda seems to be mispronounced here involves the háček that appears above the S – you know, the little wiggly thing that appears above the S in Škoda, but which Autocar house style means we don’t use for capital letters. But in Czechia, that little squiggle changes the pronunciation of an S to a sh. Hence Shhhkoda. Look, just do an impression of Sean Connery saying shurely shome mishtake and you’ll be halfway there. In a statement, Skoda UK marketing director Kirsten Stagg said: “The Š has always been part of our identity, but we've never really given it centre stage before.” Trying to push its use is designed to help the firm celebrate its Czech heritage, while “creating something playful, memorable and unmistakably Škoda”. If this seems an odd move by Skoda, it isn’t even the first car brand to try this in recent years. Not that long ago, Hyundai launched an advertising campaign explaining that Brits should be saying ‘He-oon-day’ and not ‘High-oond-aye’. And there aren’t even any weird accents to blame in Hyundai. Really, apart from questioning if trying to tell potential customers that they're not always right about pronounciation is actually a good thing, it's the timing of these campaigns that feels a bit odd. Why now? After all, the Skoda campaign is being done at a time when loads of new car brands that nobody has any idea how to pronounce are flooding the UK market. Plenty of people still wouldn’t even know that Jaecoo, Geely, Lepas, Changan and Xiamomi are car firms, let alone know how to pronounce them. Is now the time to make people question your brand's name? But I think that’s the real genius here: it feels like Skoda is doing a bit of a power flex. People know Skoda and they like Skoda, so the fact the firm can expend its marketing effort correcting pronunciation shows how far ahead of all those Chinese brands it is. People care about Skoda, even if they haven't been saying the name of the brand right. By contrast, the challenge for firms like Geely isn’t getting Brits to says its name correctly – jee-lee, for the record – but actually making sure they’ve heard of the brand at all. New car firms can’t afford to worry about how many people pronounce their name correctly. They just want people to know they exist. Geely simply wants people to buy its cars; it can teach people how to pronounce its name in a century or so. But everybody knows Shhhkoda, so Shhhkoda can have some fun with that. And the key is that the campaign is fun and lighthearted, rather than being stern or instructive. It plays into Shhhkoda’s reputation as a relaxed, warm, friendly and likeable brand. Much like its recent sponsorship to rebrand the Peak District as the Peaq District, after its forthcoming EV flagship, raised plenty of smiles. Well, apart from with a handful of slightly po-faced protestors. Crucially, I don’t actually think Shhhkoda really cares how my mum, or anyone else, actually pronounces Shhhkoda. The important thing is that my mum noticed the TV advert, and knows about Shhhkoda, is thinking about Shhhkoda and has now prompted me to write several hundred words about Shhhkoda. For any brand, it’s important to be talked about, and this campaign is making sure people are. Will it make anyone more likely to buy a Peaq or an Epiq or a Superb or a Fabia? When so much of modern marketing is about reinforcing brands rather than selling products, I’m not sure that matters. But if people are looking to buy a new car, customers might just be more inclined to buy one from a firm that can laugh about its name, rather than one with a strange name they've never heard of.

8/25/2026

Climate change and poor maintenance cited as real culprits for the UK's pockmarked roads SUVs and EVs are being unfairly blamed for being a major cause of road damage, experts say, as the state of Tarmac across the UK continues to deteriorate. Over the past nine years, the mean average kerb weight of new cars has increased by almost 400kg, from 1553kg to 1947kg. Last year, the average weight of cars road tested by Autocar was 2024kg. Of the 73 cars tested, the most common body type by far was SUVs and the most common fuel type electric. This increase in weight, allied to the growth in the numbers of SUVs and EVs, has led critics of the vehicles to accuse them of damaging roads, and some city councils, including those of London and Cardiff, to consider imposing additional parking charges on them. In a recent blog published by the Institute of Civil Engineers, Elizabeth Orchard, director of infrastructure consultancy Endelevu, claimed that EVs are a factor in the formation of potholes. "Roads are designed to withstand a certain number of heavy vehicles during their lifetime," she wrote. "As vehicles - especially EVs - become heavier, the wear per vehicle increases. More damage occurs more quickly, reducing the lifespan of the road." However, Ali Rahman, assistant professor at the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Leeds, believes some criticism overstates the damaging effects of such vehicles. "We don't want to blame only heavier cars for the damage," he said. "The fourth power law shows that road damage increases proportionately with axle load. If, for instance, a vehicle's axle load doubles, the damage to the road doesn't double but increases by about 16 times. "Heavy goods vehicles [HGVs] are the principal cause of road damage. One HGV can cause the same damage as many thousands of car journeys. "Combined with other factors acting together - climate change, water ingress and delays in road maintenance - it is why SUVs and EVs cannot be singled out for damaging roads." In March, the Asphalt Industry Alliance said local authorities in England and Wales faced a record £18.62 billion backlog of carriageway repairs that would take 12 years to clear. It added that 16% of local roads - equivalent to more than 32,500 miles - were reported to have less than five years' structural life remaining. Later in the year, the government announced a £7.3 billion spending package for roads maintenance over four years to 2030. It also tightened the rules around how councils spend the money to ensure it's used effectively. In her blog post Orchard explained that the most common cause of potholes in the UK is the action of vehicles passing over the road in combination with the annual freeze-thaw cycle. "The UK's climate is perfect for pothole formation," she wrote. "Winter temperatures often sit around 0deg C - warm enough for rain but cold enough for freezing soon after. This means the freeze-thaw cycle can repeat many times in a single week, sometimes several times in one day. "When rainwater seeps into these cracks and freezes, it expands, pushing stones apart and weakening the 'icing' [top] layer. Furthermore, the bitumen becomes brittle and snaps at cold temperatures. As vehicles pass over the weakened area, the material breaks away and a pothole begins to form." Rahman said "climate change is causing the most damage at the moment", as increasingly hot weather also melts the top layer of bitumen below the road surface. The Electric Vehicle Association England, which has 7000 members, said claims that EVs damage roads more than ICE cars are inaccurate and based on myth. CEO Vicky Edmonds, a former head of the governmental Office for Low Emission Vehicles, said: "I do not accept that EVs are destroying roads. They're still passenger cars and not heavy trucks. It's traffic volume that destroys the roads." Edmonds added that with the continuing development of batteries, EVs are expected to become lighter in the future - while smaller and lighter new models are already arriving. These include the Renault Twingo E-Tech, with a kerb weight of 1200kg, and the Dacia Spring 100 Expression, at 976kg. "EVs are still an emerging technology which is constantly evolving," said Edmonds.

8/24/2026

Boxy kei car will rival the Renault Twingo and Honda Super-N as the brand's entry-level EV Suzuki has taken the wraps off its e-Sky, a new electric city car that is coming to the UK next year as a rival for the Renault Twingo and Honda Super-N. It is Suzuki’s first electric kei car, meaning it has been developed according to the Japanese class’s strict limits on size. This has resulted in a boxy upright shape, which is designed to maximise occupant space in a minimal footprint. The car is little changed from the concept version displayed at last year’s Tokyo motor show. The most notable visual revision is a swap from the concept’s futuristic LED lighting to more a chunkier and more conventional set-up. Technical details remain under wraps until the autumn but, in keeping with kei convention, it is likely to use a single front-mounted motor with an output of 63bhp. Japanese media has reported a range of 193 miles, which would put the e-Sky ahead of the rival Super-N (128 miles). However, the Super-N is not actually a kei car: it is based on the Honda N-One E but modified to suit export markets such as the UK with a more powerful 94bhp motor and a wider, more aggressive body. It remains to be seen whether Suzuki will follow Honda in modifiying the e-Sky with extra power to suit the preferences of UK buyers.  Regardless, this model will form a crucial part of the brand’s future plans in the UK. Suzuki UK boss David Kateley previously told Autocar that “the A-segment BEV is vitally important” and that he was “very excited about its prospects”. To that end, pricing is expected to start at below £20,000 – around the same money as the combustion-engined Suzuki Swift supermini. The e-Sky is due to arrive next spring and its sales will provide the Japanese brand with a useful boost toward its qualification for the UK’s zero-emission vehicle mandate.  It will be followed a year later by Suzuki’s third EV, which, Kateley said, “definitely won't be an electric Swift”.

8/24/2026

Volvo set to expand line-up of PHEVs as EV adoption slows, warning that the ZEV mandate needs a “reality check” Volvo will double down on long-range plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) in the UK over the coming years, in response to slower than expected demand for pure-electric models.  Speaking to Autocar, Volvo UK boss Nicole Melillo Shaw said PHEVs will continue to serve as a “stepping stone” for buyers who aren’t yet ready to take the leap into an electric car. However, Melillo Shaw noted that hybrids need to offer a very long electric-only range in order to help Volvo buyers transition smoothly to pure-EV models.  “The important nuance here is not the number of hybrids we sell: it’s whether people are driving them as a hybrid rather than just as a petrol car,” said Melillo Shaw “In the past, when plug-in ranges were very low, drivers rarely charged them. Volvo has invested heavily in making sure our hybrids offer a long range so that people can use them as intended. So then it becomes a true stepping stone, and we’ll make sure we have that range available to our customers.” While Volvo UK's pure-electric sales have increased significantly in recent years – going from 4556 in 2022 to nearly 18,000 in 2024, and 9000 in the first seven months of 2026 – its combustion-powered cars remain vastly more popular. Petrol has powered around 75% (31,000) of the brand's UK sales so far this year, and of those almost 7000 were plug-in hybrids. Volvo currently offers plug-in hybrid versions of the XC60 and XC90 SUVs, offering a maximum EV range of around 50 miles. However, the new XC70, launched in China and planned for Europe soon, is the first of its so-called ‘long-range’ PHEVs and offers a claimed engine-off range of 124 miles - longer than any PHEV on sale in the UK today (albeit that figure is according to China’s generous testing cycle).  Automotive News recently reported that an upcoming refresh for the XC60 will add a similarly capable long-range PHEV option, with a larger battery set to more than double its EV range.  While Melillo Shaw highlighted the ongoing need for hybrid models such as these, she reaffirmed the brand’s commitment to electrification. However, with EV adoption lagging behind initial forecasts, she called for a “reality check” regarding zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate targets, which are currently under review by the government.  “If everyone decided to drive an electric car tomorrow, we are set up to support that, so there are no concerns from an innovation standpoint,” said Melillo Shaw.  “But If consumer adoption isn't moving at the expected speed, then how can we work together, industry and government, so the outcome isn't just punitive? We need to step back, assess the reality, and partner to keep moving forward.”  Melillo Shaw added that the mandate needs “to examine the facts and data” and assess the consumer adoption curve, not just “EV registration numbers driven by heavy discounting”. The UK government launched a review last week that will consider whether to soften ZEV mandate targets for electric car sales from 2027 to 2035. Under the current guidelines, new combustion cars must feature some form of hybrid element in order to remain on sale beyond 2030, with all new UK cars going fully electric by 2035.

8/24/2026

Toyota is poised to relaunch the MR2 and Celica as part of its transformation of the GR sporting arm into a full stand-alone performance brand. The GR division is effectively Toyota's equivalent of BMW M or Mercedes-AMG and has its roots in the Gazoo Racing motorsport outfit that created Toyota's most recent crop of sports cars: the GR Yaris, GR Supra and GR 86. It is now being expanded and turned into its own brand, joining Lexus and the Japan-only Daihatsu and Century in Toyota's portfolio. The new GR GT supercar and its racing GT3 sibling are the first models to be branded purely with GR badges. With the GR 86 and GR Supra now off sale and the GR Yaris set to follow suit before long, the supercars will be the only models in the GR range when they are launched next year. But plans are fast progressing to expand the line-up at the bottom end and create a family of dedicated sports cars at a range of price points in a segment rivals are exiting en masse. It's all part of a wider initiative to embrace more enthusiast-focused models under the guidance of company chairman and keen racer Akio Toyoda, who has long made clear his "no more boring cars" mantra and commitment to performance models - particularly those powered by combustion. GR's new sports cars are being developed in parallel with Gazoo Racing's motorsport activities. The Celica is expected to be the basis for Toyota's next World Rally Championship challenger and the mid-engined MR2 is being developed in plain sight, with a development mule actively competing in one of Japan's biggest race series. Tomoya Takahashi, president of Toyota's motorsport division, said the move indicates a shift in the company's mindset that places more emphasis on niche models that play a halo role, rather than one of particular commercial significance. Speaking about the GR Yaris M concept being used to develop the MR2, he said: "In the 2000s, we had what was known as the 'global master plan' and Toyota had become a company that only built cars that made money. Since midship models don't sell in large numbers, they naturally fell by the wayside. "If we were the old Toyota, I think the response to this project would have been: 'What are you talking about? Forget it!' But under chairman Akio Toyoda's presidency, the company came to embrace new challenges. "In the past, a newly built car would never have been driven like this and I don't think you would have seen a vehicle at this stage of completion entered in a race, with 'Master Driver' Akio Toyoda behind the wheel testing it out. "I hope our efforts here demonstrate that we are dedicated to continuing to make cars through motorsports." MR2 to get punchy 2.0-litre engine The reborn MR2 will be one of very few mid-engined sports cars on the market by the time it arrives - with the Lotus Emira now the only such model offered by a mainstream manufacturer. Alpine says its next-generation A110 - another natural rival for a new Toyota sports coupé - could accommodate an engine if needed, but it will be launched as an EV. The MR2 is expected to use a new 2.0-litre engine that Toyota is developing specifically for hybrid sports cars. The firm has been trialling its new 'G20E' four-cylinder engine in an adapted, mid-engined GR Yaris - going so far as to enter the prototype in Japan's Super Taikyu endurance race series as a hardcore test of its performance and reliability. The G20E is based on the 1.6-litre unit that powers today's GR Yaris and is said to "push the limits of performance and efficiency". It has been designed to take up as little space as possible, to enable compact vehicle dimensions and a low centre of gravity - crucial attributes for a mid-engined sports car. It is said to produce in the region of 400-450bhp in standard tune and upwards of 600bhp in the race car, making it potentially one of the most powerful four-cylinder engines yet created. Mercedes-AMG's 'M139' engine is the most powerful four-pot in a production car to date, making 416bhp in the A45 S hot hatch. While the mid-engined GR Yaris M prototype is powered purely by petrol, the engine will be compatible with hybrid and PHEV powertrains, taking advantage of a shorter piston stroke than today's engine, which means it takes up less space. Toyota moved the engine behind the cockpit in a bid to address the dynamic shortcomings of a front-engined performance car. It said: "Vehicles such as the GR Yaris have a front-mounted engine, concentrating the load on the front tyres during all driving operations of braking, steering and acceleration. "In circuit environments, this significantly affects tyre wear and leads to a tendency for understeer when cornering at the limit due to reduced grip." The mid-engined arrangement, devised and engineered in collaboration with chairman Toyoda, is said to address those issues while allowing "drivers to control [the car] exactly as they intend". The M concept - named in reference to its mid-mounted engine and as a nod to 'Morizo', the name under which Toyoda races - drives both axles like the standard GR Yaris, but it is unknown if that would be the case for a small sports car using the same engine. The original MR2's tail-happy handling was intrinsic to its dynamic character and a successor would be likely to follow suit - especially if it is to retain the name, which is often interpreted as meaning 'mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive two-seater'. However, the drivetrain in the GR Yaris M is capable of splitting power equally across both axles, or channelling it all to the back. This could allow the MR2 to remain true to its roots while benefiting from the enhanced stability and poise of a 4WD set-up. Toyota has trademarked the GR MR2 name and the new car is likely to go without Toyota badges entirely as the GR GT does - to cement the sporting brand's positioning as a stand-alone marque. Testing of the eventual road car is thought to have ramped up recently with the deployment of a new sports car prototype at the Toyota-owned Fuji Motor Speedway. Wearing a mish-mash of body parts from existing Toyota models - Lexus LC doors and GR Yaris lights among them - the two-door test mule is clearly mid-engined (based on its huge side air intakes and vented hood) and, in video taken from the side of the track, can be heard to emit a purposeful turbo four-pot soundtrack. Even though it gives clues to the size and engineering of Toyota's new entry-level sports car, the test car is not thought to closely preview its styling. Instead, the new Emira rival is expected to be heavily based on the bold FT-SE concept Toyota revealed in 2023. While it was originally destined to use an all-electric powertrain based around Toyota's new-generation energy-dense battery packs, the FT-SE was unmistakably 'mid-engined' in its proportions and could make production relatively unchanged by virtue of the new G20E engine's compact proportions. Since the FT-SE was revealed, Toyota has doubled down on its commitment to a 'multi-pathway' energy strategy, investing in new petrol and hybrid powertrains, as well as hydrogen combustion, in parallel with the expansion of its EV line-up - and paving the way for a new generation of combustion-engined sports cars. What the Yaris M test car tells us Toyota is aiming to eradicate "prayer time" with its new mid-engined platform. That's what chairman Akio Toyoda calls the moment when a high-output front-engined car understeers into a sharp bend: "It's time to pray to God." The firm touts the success of the standard GR Yaris in motorsport - having competed in the World Rally Championship, Super Taikyu and Nürburgring 24 Hours - but says characteristics inherent in its drivetrain layout ultimately limit its performance potential. "The front-engine 4WD packaging means that all of the vehicle's functions - stopping, turning, accelerating - are concentrated around the front section," said Toyota. "This layout places a heavier load on the front tyres, which wear out more easily and must be replaced three times as often as the rear. Increased wear can also result in understeer." Moving the engine to the middle of the chassis in the GR Yaris M concept helps to address these shortcomings - plus, said Toyota Gazoo Racing boss Tomoya Takahashi, it makes "cars that are fun for customers to drive". He referenced the original MR2 as an example of a car with "incredibly well-balanced weight distribution between the front and rear" but acknowledged its notorious reputation for snap oversteer in fast bends. "What made the car turn so well also let it spin out easily on corners," he said. However, by combining the mid-mounted engine with a four-wheel drive system, said Takahashi, "you transform the power that causes the vehicle to spin into a force that pulls the car forward, improving stability through corners". He added: "When you get behind the wheel, we hope the first thing people notice is how well the car turns." After taking to the wheel for a practice stint ahead of the car's competitive debut last year, Akio Toyoda was cautiously encouraged by the prototype's potential: "It's a fun drive, but there's still work to be done, isn't there?" He added: "If I don't improve my driving skills, I won't be able to handle this car."

8/24/2026

Cars once shouted about their tech spec – in such a fast-moving era, we should return to gratuitous badging I spotted a badge on the back of a new car the other day that took me right back to the good old days, when car manufacturers assumed that owners cared enough about the technology in their products that they would actually advertise it a bit. Two badges, actually, both wonderfully incomprehensible. The Denza Bao 5, newly arrived in Britain, is a tough-looking, Chinese-made, plug-in hybrid 4x4. I would hesitate to call it an SUV, because it's clearly intended to actually go off road and looks a bit like a discount-shop G-Wagen. There's lots about it that might make you smile, but nothing better, for me, than two badges on its barn-door tailgate that proudly read 'DiSus-P' and 'DMO'. Erm, yerrwhat? Those rather ambitious initialisms are references to the Bao 5's active hydraulic suspension system and its hybrid-specific 'Dual Mode Offroad' platform respectively. And I reckon the average dog walker who spots one of these cars on a Sunday morning would have about as much chance of guessing that as their Norwegian Lundehund might of digging up the Ark of the Covenant on Greenham Common. When was the last time you saw such a bizarrely obscure badge on a car? There was, fairly recently, the Renault Kadjar Bose Edition, which actually managed to use the specification of its stereo as its derivative identity, with Bose badges on its wings and everything. I mean, you won't believe it: this Renault has stereo speakers. My ghast is truly flabbered. But that's not really technical enough to count on this score. This took me back to my old man's dubious lineage of Rover 800 company cars, which at the turn of the 1990s introduced me to both 'Catalyst' and '16v' boot badges (phwoar, etc). The catalyst thing I remember quite clearly across all sorts of stuff. Google tells me it appeared, either as a badge or a decal, on Volkswagen Polos and Ferrari 328s. To us today, it would seern about as banal as putting WHEELS!' on a boot badge and then expecting customers to point, coo and go all weak at the knees. But at least it was evidence that car makers expected car buyers to speak roughly the same technical vernacular as them; to have an interest. That has been missing from mainstream car culture for the past decade or so, it strikes me. Just as the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes have started issuing model nomenclature badges that don't actually describe engine capacity the way they used to, makers of electric cars have thrashed around trying to find meaningful reference points to make a more expensive model's identity distinct from a cheaper one. That's something we need to find a way to reconnect with and rediscover. Car owners need reassurance that it's okay to be geeky about their pride and joy. We need a new vocabulary, of course. As engines get either less or less important in, or else just plain absent from, our cars, there's chance of 'EFI', 'VVTI , "Turbo D'or "Twin Cam' making a comeback. In the version of the future where we've all been forced to adopt EVs by tax bands, global fuel pricing and social pressure, perhaps there will be a case for simply putting 'Engine' on the bootlid of the one combustion-powered model that any given manufacturer can afford to produce. And then selling tickets to hear it run. Moving away from the engine bay, I was amused to discover that both the Triumph TR4A and Holden Commodore came at various times with 'IRS' badges - for independent rear suspension', of course. Plenty of the former were indeed sold in North America, apparently; I can't imagine their owners having been popular at dinner parties. At any rate, batteries, inverters and electric motors have their proprietary innovations and technical distinctions too: it's simply that too many car makers think owners don't care. Well, I reckon they do. I reckon 'X-Pin' (stator winding), 'SiC' (inverter) or '800V' on the back of an EV would be great. I'd like nothing better than boring on about what it referred to. Car designers seem to like putting lettering on the back of new cars at the moment; it might as well say something useful.

8/23/2026

"Unsuitable devices for unnecessarily intensifying the volume" of cars have been around for a century "The Commissioner of Police thinks it advisable to call upon all owners and drivers of motor vehicles to do what is in their power to reduce the annoyance caused, especially at night, by the use of unsuitable devices for unnecessarily intensifying either the timbre or volume of the sound emitted." Anyone who has ever been woken at 3am by the droning and banging of a modified Audi RS3 or somesuch would second that plea – yet it's one that was circulated 115 years ago. At that time, the only regulation governing vehicle noise compelled use of a horn at hazardous junctures. Little wonder there was a "growing volume of complaints against the nerve-racking, strident noises" of Britain's fast-growing motoring set. We felt "the seriousness of car noises was greatly exaggerated", but regardless just five months later "the agitation culminated in the issue of a further regulation by the Local Government Board, prohibiting the use of cut-outs" – devices that let a car's exhaust gas avoid its silencer to boost power. Enjoy full access to the complete Autocar archive at the magazineshop.com This was "fairly sweeping, as it not only prohibits use of cut-outs but practically insists upon the use of silencers which shall deaden the noise of the exhaust blast very considerably" – all caused by those few "of caddish propensities". Moreover, we complained, no curbs had been placed on the far greater irritants that were "lumbering traction engines that shake the very foundations of the houses they pass" and "iron-tyred horse vehicles of all sorts". By summer 1928, traffic noise – described by one MP as "inflicting considerable suffering and being a general menace to health" – had come to the fore again. In just the past year, some 10,600 drivers had been prosecuted for excessive noise, and consequently a broad-based committee was set up to investigate. Its recommendation, delivered the next spring, was more regulation. Thus, from August 1929, "use of any car which causes any excessive noise either directly or as a result of any defect, lack of repair or faulty adjustment or loading" was illegal. There remained one big problem, though, as reader EJ Burrow noted: "Unless some method is invented for its reasonable enforcement, the law is likely to become a futile absurdity, more honoured in the breach than in the observance. The police seem utterly at a loss as to how to approach the subject." Clearly not all of them, though, as by the end of the year, 1282 people had been prosecuted under the act, despite noise being unquantifiable. That would soon change: in 1937, by which point "silence had rather fallen away from the golden standard", we enjoyed our first try of a sound measuring machine. Already two units of sound had been devised: the decibel, a pure measurement of mechanical energy, and the phon, one of loudness to the human ear, accounting for variables in how it perceives differing frequencies. The Ministry of Transport had recommended that no car should exceed 90 phons – slightly above the potency of sitting by an open window on an express train. The Wolseley saloons that we tested peaked at 77 when cruising at 30mph in top gear, 18ft from the microphone. More regulation was introduced in 1955, as car ownership became democratised: "Every [ICE] vehicle shall be fitted with silencer, expansion chamber or other contrivance suitable and sufficient for reducing as far as may be reasonable the exhaust noise." Yet, as an MP argued in 1959, "many vehicles are particularly obnoxious in this respect, especially motorcycles and sports cars. They probably do not make an excessive noise when they come from the manufacturers but, after having been improved in the view of the owners, a hellish noise is created which is completely unnecessary." That winter we joined Southend Police as they employed a decibel meter to "remove the arbitrary nature of the assessment of the sound defined in the regulation". They set their threshold for warning or prosecution at 95dB – "slightly above the level inside a tube train". But the loudest we heard was 92dB, from a "notoriously noisy sports car driven at full bore in second gear". Still, another government report on the issue was commissioned in 1960. An MP scoffed: "When I hear a sports car going through our streets with the tremendous roar which accompanies it, my main feeling is one of almost embarrassment that a grown-up should seek to show off in such a childish way." Well, quite.   It was 1970 when 'excessive noise' crossed the boundary of objectivity in British law, being defined at 87dB.

8/23/2026

The RAC is one of many firms offering services at home or a place of work, and the idea is catching on In most jobs, gratification is rooted in hard metrics: leads, customer conversions, sales and such. But for the RAC's army of mobile mechanics it comes from something altogether more tangible. Sean Kimberlin, the RAC's mobile mechanic of the year and guest speaker at the Autocar Drivers of Change awards, says the true marker of a job well done is, in fact, whether the customer offers tea and biscuits. "You get the 'thank you so much, you don't know how much you've helped me out'. And for me, that's enough. It's a bit corny, but I always think about the customer as a member of my family, and it's important to me that I deliver the sort of service I would want my wife to get or my elderly parents to get," he says. Kimberlin represents the spearhead in a new era for the RAC. Its bright orange breakdown patrols are a familiar sight on the nation's roads, but in 2023 the RAC launched a new mobile servicing arm to help increasingly time-strapped motorists maintain their cars. The concept is simple: you book a service as you would with a garage, then a mechanic comes out to you - be it on your driveway at home, or in your office car park as you work. Paul Coward, head of the RAC's maintenance and repair arm, says the mobile servicing tackles "everything from simple stuff to brakes and starter motors". He adds: "We're probably the biggest buyer in the UK of rotating electrics - starters and alternators." That's a good indication of the scale of the work a mechanic can do on the move. Convenience is by far the service's biggest draw. "The coffee in my local dealer is lovely," jokes Coward, "but you have to get there at 8am and then you don't know how long it's going to take when you drop it off. Then you have to leave work early and ask your boss whether you can get away before 5pm to pick the car back up." The ability to have your car worked on from your front porch saves such hassles, because you can see what work is being done and therefore how much longer it might take. The ability to see what is being done also means you can be confident that you're getting what you've asked for, says Coward. Most dealers or big garages encourage you to go elsewhere while work is carried out - "and then you get the phone call saying it's going to be expensive". But that isn't the case when having your car worked on at home. Coward adds: "We price up front. If that's what it is, that's what we charge. Obviously, if it [becomes more complex] and your ECU or head gasket is broken, we're not going to fix that for the price of a service. We'll have a conversation with the customer to say it's probably not worth doing a service: you need to go to a garage and get it done. So you know exactly what we've done with your car." But what of the 40% of the nation that doesn't have a drive? "We are working on that," says Kimberlin. "We've got a couple of partners with facilities that we can, in some areas, use. We have business partners all over the UK with areas we can work in." He adds that there is more to come on this front and highlights London as a particular problem area, but the RAC hasn't quite finished working on a solution just yet. We can expect such services to become a mainstay in the years to come. As our lives get busier and rents get ever higher, which forces independent garages out of business, mobile mechanics might just become the lifeline that the nation's car parc needs. Indeed, some newcomers to the UK car market are using mobile mechanics as a lifeline for getting customers' cars serviced while they expand their nascent dealer networks. Chinese brand Aion has partnered the AA's rival service, which it views as vital to building customer confidence. What's in a mobile mechanic's van? The RAC's recovery vans are a familiar sight on our roads, liveried in bright orange and fitted with all manner of important gear. But while they may look superficially identical, the mobile mechanics rigs actually carry a completely different payload. Sean Kimberlin drives a Ford E-Transit Custom. He admits he was "sceptical" about driving a short-range electric van every day when it was first assigned to him, but he has come to admire its easy-going drive. With frequent charging forcing him to pause for 40 minutes every so often, "it's actually a much healthier lifestyle" than quickly refilling a diesel van and getting back on the road, he says. Chief among the mechanics' kit is a gateway tablet. This allows Kimberlin to tap into a car's software and carry out diagnostic tests or software updates, as if it were a main dealer doing the work. This is not something for which every independent garage is certified, and it gives the RAC a crucial leg up against the competition. Otherwise, there is a comprehensive set of hand tools used for dismantling cars - screwdrivers, wrenches and such - and parts that might be required, including filters and oils. Completing the package is a large ground sheet, which is placed below the car being serviced before any work begins, to prevent any spillages onto a driveway.

8/23/2026

It's still £40k, and for maybe the zenith of hot hatches worth every penny In 2022, jaws dropped when Honda announced the starting price of the 'FL5' Civic Type R as £46,995 - £15,000 more than the 'FK8' had cost six years earlier. It was an example of supply economics: numbers were limited in Europe due to CO2 emissions regulations (the Type R emits 186g/km), so even at that inflated price demand outstripped supply. Even now, used cars start from around £35,000, or similar money to the equally acclaimed swansong Ford Focus ST Edition. Beneath the FL5's calmer styling are fundamentals from the FK8, but this was more than a mere reskin. As for the chassis, the wheelbase is a touch longer, the track is 15mm wider and torsional rigidity is 15% greater. Moving to the turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder VTEC engine, the flywheel is lighter and the air intake capacity greater, resulting in slightly stronger peak outputs of 325bhp at 6500rpm and 310lb ft at 2200rpm (up 9bhp and 15lb ft). As before, all of that is sent to the front axle via a fabulous six-speed manual gearbox and a mechanical limited-slip differential, while the brakes are four-piston Brembos. The only disappointment was that the Type R gained weight between its generations, primarily due to the mandated addition of a petrol particulate filter - which also had a negative effect on the exhaust note. Nonetheless, the FL5 feels like a racing homologation special on the road - like the FK8, only more so. To get the best out of it - the most satisfaction and feedback - you need to drive it hard, so it's a hot hatch for a serious driver who wants to extend it on challenging roads. When you do uncork the Type R, you will find beautifully fluid suspension, which in combination with communicative steering makes pushing on intuitive and natural. It sticks to the road like no front-driven car has a right to - and has the power to really shoot you out of corners. You soon get into a rhythm, with a real driver and machine relationship building, just like in any of the other all-time performance car greats. You can choose from Comfort, Sport and +R modes; Comfort is all you really need in the UK, but there's also an Individual mode (unlike in the FK8) that lets you separately tweak things such as the engine note, steering weight, damper stiffness and more. Whichever way you go, the FL5 is particularly good at making you feel at ease. The driving position is near enough spot on and the control weights feel just right. The comfortable and supportive seats locate you low enough to give a sports car feel, while offering plenty of adjustment, and other familiar touches like an aluminium gearknob and Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel are pleasing to touch and amp up the engagement factor. Otherwise, it's all pretty familiar from the standard 11th-generation Civic, which is to say well built and easy to use - with what might be the best balance of physical switchgear to digital screens in the class. In terms of practicality, it's on the larger side for a hatchback, so the cabin is roomy in both the front and the rear (although the Type R does lack a middle perch) and the boot is impressively capacious, at 410 litres. If a hot hatch is to be your only car, that will make this Honda more usable than an equivalent Focus or Volkswagen Golf, at no penalty to your driving enjoyment. What we said then 10 August 2025: "The 'FL5' Type R is a tribute to the skill and commitment of the people behind it, and a riot to drive as they intended. But they also intended it to be driven flat out: to set front-drive lap records. If you like a car that entertains at lesser speeds, it might feel like it's missing something. In the grander scheme of things, however, it will be the hot hatchback market that's missing something when Honda sells the last of these cars." An owner's view Steven Baker: "Having owned many a performance car over the years, I've come back to the Type R. It was a scary price to spend on a front-wheel-drive hatchback, but I have no regrets so far. It's definitely hardcore: the ride is firm and the road noise is obvious. But it's never uncomfortable to spend long periods of time in, because the steering, gearchange and driving position are spot on." Buyer beware Reliability: So far, most FL5 owners have reported flawless reliability, in typical Honda fashion. In the future, watch out for rattles and cracked or buckled wheels from the stiff suspension and low-profile tyres. Many cars will have been ragged and taken on track, so ensure the service history is bang up to date and the car has been generally looked after. Modifications: Many modifications will be purely cosmetic, but some owners have fettled their cars' mechanicals. Make sure that any such mod was done by a reputable company with history. Aftermarket 18in alloys are often fitted for improved performance and ride comfort rather than simply for aesthetics, because the standard wheels are quite heavy. Aloof character: Owners liken the FL5 to serious Porsche 911 variants. It's extremely capable and rewarding when you're pushing on but much of the time lacks excitement and personality. The preceding FK8 had a more aurally interesting soundtrack (blame legislation) and more torque steer with which to entertain drivers. Refinement: This may be a fantastic all-rounder, but if you're looking for a quiet motorway cruiser, look elsewhere. Road noise in particular is pronounced, if not overbearing. The Volkswagen Golf R and Ford Focus ST are quieter. Owners report that lining the boot with sound-deadening material makes a big difference, however. Also worth knowing Honda sold the FL5 in just a single well-equipped specification in the UK and offered only three optional extras. These were paint colours other than grey, the Illumination Pack (comprising puddle lights and red ambient lighting inside) and the Carbon Pack (carbonfibre mirror caps, rear spoiler and diffuser, plus some interior bits). In 2025 the UK received 10 of 40 Ultimate Edition cars, priced at £57,905. These were painted in signature Championship White with red racing stripes and gained extra carbonfibre, including for the rear wing, door sills and centre console. Americans can buy the DE5 Acura Integra Type S, which is basically a rebodied FL5. It's probably a better car more of the time, with a fruitier exhaust, nicer interior and more sound deadening. It will be going on sale in Japan soon, so expect some to arrive in the UK not long after as grey imports. How much to spend £35,000-£38,999: Cars that have previously been written off or damaged. £39,000-£43,999: Two- and three-year-old cars with 10,000 to 30,000 miles. Some Japanese-market grey imports are available for a little less, like for like. £44,000-£50,000: Nearly new cars, around a year old and with fewer than 10,000 miles. Ultimate Editions will be at the top of this range or possibly even above if you can find one. One we found Honda Civic Type R 2.0 VTEC Turbo, 2023, 22k miles, £38,995: This is as cheap as a clean FL5 gets. This Championship White car is still owned by its original buyer and has had three services. It also comes with 18 months' worth of a Honda service plan.

8/22/2026

I feel bad, but I wasn't being careless - are car design trends putting wheels needlessly at risk? I have kerbed a wheel. Quite notably. This is something that deeply irritates and embarrasses me from a point of professional pride: not to blow my own trumpet, but I’m pretty good at parking cars. You probably are too, or you certainly would be if you had to shuffle them around a tight office car park as much as your Autocar correspondents do.  I wasn’t good on that morning, though – not two and a half hours into what would be a four-hour drive, when what I needed was a quick break.  For context, the road in question has marked parking bays along one side, empty, so I was just easing into one as I approached forwards. But it is a narrow road, so a parked car leaves enough room for just one car to pass it, and then without much generosity.  It is lined, as country town roads often are, on both sides by old-fashioned, rough-hewn, brick-shaped kerb stones – attractive and rustic but unforgiving.  I needed to be close to the kerb so that I wasn’t poking out into the road where my mirrors might receive a whack from a passing car or so that I didn’t squeeze one too far towards the kerb on the opposite side. I wanted to not be a bother.  My Skoda Kodiaq vRS is 1864mm wide across the body, 2133mm across the (extended) mirrors, so it isn’t a narrow car. Hence I wanted to park as close to the kerb as possible. These, then, are the excuses. That’s not bad, a bit closer, a tiny bit, closer… graunch. Urgh. This is going to be a faff, and expensive. These kerbs really are unforgiving. And I feel terrible.  Should I, though, really?  I used to feel guilt when the shower cubicle in my hotel room leaked, say if its door or curtain didn’t secure properly or was located in the wrong place, so that when I got out of the shower I’d notice a pool of water on the bathroom floor. I’d diligently mop it up with towels while feeling like I’ve let the side down, of course. Very British: apologies, chaps.  But actually I’ve come to realise that this isn’t my fault at all. My shower at home doesn’t throw water over the bathroom floor, yet it was decorated and is maintained by me, and I’m not a bathroom expert. Hotel bathrooms are designed and made by people whose job it specifically and literally is, yet some of them still leak everywhere. Sort it out, hotel bathroom people. (Also if you could design it so I could turn on the water from outside without it splashing all over my arm, that would be super-helpful, thanks.)  Anyway, likewise, should I be tired of feeling that bad for kerbing an alloy wheel when I wasn’t being careless? I didn’t design the car to be two metres wide. I didn’t design it with 20in, black, polished alloy wheels that protrude from low-profile tyres. And is it realistic to expect that the people who built the original track during the medieval period could have anticipated and designed for its later conversion into a two-lane road and then, a er 600 years, the arrival of two-metre-wide cars with diamond-cut alloy wheels?  And should I be better at knowing to the nearest millimetre (I wanted to park within 100mm of the kerb, really) where my wheel is, when it’s maybe two and a half metres away from me and I can’t see it?  There is a limit, I think, to quite how guilty I should feel about that. What I could (and I acknowledge should) have done is stop ahead of the bay and reverse for the last few moments, with a lowered door mirror to help me, but you don’t get an excellent view of the Kodiaq, the focal length is maybe six metres and it still wouldn’t have shown me the front wheel (protruding more, on lock, than the rear one). The risk would still have been evident.  I don’t want to single out the Skoda here, by the way. It could – and would – have been anything that day. As previously with the bodywork of supercars, wheels are being increasingly placed in harm’s way needlessly. I still feel bad, but modern car design has got a case to answer.

8/22/2026

Its cars are becoming more electric and digital, but Merc's CEO won't lose sight of the brand's spirit Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius is clearly proud of the new C-Class Electric saloon. Proud enough to travel from Stuttgart to Helsinki to pop into the launch event and, after spending 20 minutes fielding questions from a buying pack of eager reporters, take me on a private 45-minute drive of the Finnish countryside. He wants to show off this car and is keen for Autocar readers to understand what it can do. “It’s nice and quiet and feels more like an E-Class,” says Källenius, as we glide along in notable tranquillity. “We’re doing 80kph [50mph] now, but if we were on the autobahn doing 200 [124] you’d have the same feeling…" At this point Källenius is interrupted, not by me with a probing follow-up question but by the C-Class itself: “The feeling of driving at high speeds on the autobahn can be exhilarating.” Having his own car vocally interrupt an interview is a first for Källenius, but this surreal moment encapsulates the complex, balanced transition that Mercedes is undergoing, as it adds huge digital capabilities to its vehicles while still maintaining the traditional premium strengths that have underpinned them for 140 years. With its first generation of electric vehicles, Mercedes kept the two strands separate – for example, selling the EQE beside the combustion-engined E-Class. But the new C-Class and closely related GLC mark a distinct shift in offering you the choice of powertrain – albeit with the ICE and EV versions built on different platforms. “We had buyers enter the brand with those first electric models in the market. They learned to love Mercedes later in their life, maybe,” says Källenius. “The traditional Mercedes customers are now coming into this. But if they still want a high-tech combustion engine, we can do that. It’s not a problem. Customers will decide when to switch at their own convenience.” The introduction of the new MMA and MB.EA electric platforms (which respectively underpin the new CLA and GLA and new C-Class and GLC) has kick-started a rapid rollout of new EVs, along with heavy updates to keep their ICE equivalents in line. Mercedes is midway through launching 40 models in three years by the end of 2027. Even for an industry giant, that’s a huge undertaking. “The key is a thought-through architecture strategy,” says Källenius. “If every nut and bolt on every one of those cars was new, you could never do it, but if you have a modular strategy and an operating system platform strategy – the whole brain and central nervous system of the car – you don’t have to fundamentally develop a new each time.” Thus the MB.OS operating system of the C-Class Electric in which we’re currently sitting is also used in the new GLC and CLA EVs as well as the new ICE S-Class and forthcoming ICE C-Class. As Källenius notes, it’s not only Mercedes’ new generation of EVs that will be ‘software-defined vehicles’. Källenius has been chairman and CEO of Mercedes-Benz since 2019, when he took over from the much-admired Dieter Zetsche. Having worked for the company since 1993, he was an establishment choice, but the Swede was still a notable appointment as the first non-German to lead Mercedes (his wife is German and he now holds dual citizenship). Automotive CEOs usually come from either a business or engineering focus, but Källenius’s 33-year career has spanned every aspect of the firm. “I started my career as a trainee on the management side and meandered over to the engineering side,” he laughs. He initially worked in procurement (“if you work in procurement and supply, you’re like the wingman of the engineers”), eventually being made executive director of operations for McLaren in 2003, when Woking was developing the SLR McLaren. From there he had stints running Mercedes’ Formula 1 engine division in Brixworth and its US arm, then in 2010 returned to Germany to lead Mercedes-AMG. He joined the board of management in 2015, leading sales then engineering before becoming CEO. “I went through production, management and sales and then ended up as engineering director for the whole company,” says Källenius. “But I do believe that fundamentally, if you’re working for a car company, whatever you do centres around the product and the technology. You must have that constant curiosity to look at what’s happening with the product. Technology remains at the centre of Mercedes’ strategy.” Electric cars and software remain hard sells to some car fans – especially the sort Källenius tried to appeal to in his AMG days. So how do you make people who grew up debating V8 and V12 engines excited about improved inverters and faster computer chips? “For traditional car nuts it feels like you’re learning a new language,” he acknowledges, “but are you really? When I was in uni, it was: ‘Do you have a 386 or a 486 processor on your massively heavy laptop?’ The technology race has always been there as a combination of hardware and software, but now you have that in cars too, and you’re then talking about: ‘Okay, how many tops [trillion operations per second] do you have?’ “Why do you need tops? Well, you need tops to power very sophisticated generative AI-based end-to-end software models, and if you don’t have the ‘horsepower’ to do that, you don’t have the driving features. The horsepower of the digital side is provided by chipsets.” So how much of Källenius’s time as Mercedes CEO is spent debating tops and chipsets and how much is spent sitting, like he is now, behind the wheel of a new car for evaluation? “The board drives and evaluates everything, because at the very end the buck stops with us,” he says. “But I’m the first to admit the excellent engineers we have are better trained than us to do that. It’s not our job to do their job. But we are customers too. When I test a car, I put myself in customer mode. How would I feel if I’d spent €60,000 [£51,000] or so to buy this? Is it really delivering? Then we debate that. “The fine-tuning of the chassis and handling and so on is vital, because it’s a Mercedes, right? But now we spent a lot of time working on the UI [user interface] and digital side.” But don’t think that the firm is now so focused on technology that the human element is lost because, well, it’s a Mercedes, right? “It’s a science and an art,” says Källenius. “You can measure everything, such as the hertz frequency of the movement in the chassis, but it’s the experts who ultimately sign off the car and set how it rides and drives. “There’s a human component to that: it’s like they have sensors in their bodies somehow that translate into the perfect set-up. Different brands have different characteristics, and Mercedes customers have an expectation to feel safe and in control and comfort but to know they can push it if they want to.” With his experiences at McLaren and AMG, Källenius maintains a particular interest in ensuring that Mercedes continues to deliver when people want to push their cars. He recalls fondly taking part in track days with friends during his six-and-a-half-year stint in the UK (“my favourite circuit was Goodwood, which is just fantastic to go round”) and is clear that he wants the Affalterbach division to keep growing. “Our intent is to over-proportionally grow the performance side of the business,” he says – something that he’s sure will appeal to, well, you. “Having been more or less a lifelong Autocar reader, I know that Autocar readers know their stuff about sports cars,” he laughs. AMG is now beginning to develop cars atop bespoke platforms to maximise their performance, albeit using the wider synergies of the company (“the way a climate control system works, do you need an AMG version? No, you don’t”), but Källenius insists that there will remain “cross-fertilisation” between those models and the wider Mercedes line-up. Exclusive: Ola Källenius promises next AMG GT will be "insane" One example of that is the new AMG CLA 45, which features an electric powertrain that can simulate a V8 engine, down to pops and bangs and feedback on the virtual gearchanges. “When I first drove the CLA 45 with that system, I was like a born-again Christian,” says Källenius. “It was the best V8 I’d ever driven: it had all the feeling of a V8 but with more power and torque.” Not that a virtual, electric V8 is about to replace the real thing: while Källenius thinks that the industry has “turned a corner” on the road to electrification, he admits that “the consumer is not quite there yet”. He says that Mercedes “didn’t wobble” from its ultimate goal of becoming electric-only but nor did it abandon its commitment to “high-tech electrified combustion engines”. Another area where Mercedes has maintained a singular focus is in its commitment to keeping its knowledge in-house. Aside from Smart, now a 50:50 joint venture with Geely, the company has eschewed the general industry trend of forming partnerships with other manufacturers. That, says Källenius, is because “if you have the ambition to be a global leading player, you have to know the whole thing. So we have deep partnerships with tech companies and traditional suppliers but we remain the architects of the cars.” Sadly, with Källenius turning the C-Class back into the entrance for the launch venue, it’s time for us to leave this comfortable house on wheels. But, I wonder, with electrification now mainstream and software-defined vehicles on the road, will car development start to slow down soon? “I think it’s going to speed up,” counters Källenius. “With AI, who knows what’s going to happen? And the process of development is also speeding up. “[Our company founder] Karl Benz once said: ‘The love of inventing never dies.’ It’s like in F1: every time you believe you have found the last nine-thousandths of a second, there’s always a new idea. It just never stops.”

8/22/2026

The Independent Garage Association has called for MOT prices to rise to £95 – and it makes perfect sense I know what you’re thinking: motoring hacks get paid too much. What other credible reason could there be for one of their number (me) supporting a rise from £54.85 to £95 – or 72.7% – in the price of a standard annual MOT car test.  This dramatic move is about to be proposed in all seriousness by the Independent Garage Association when it holds talks with the government aimed at lifting the current MOT test price cap. I reckon it’s not just a thoroughly good idea: it’s long overdue. There are many good reasons, but two stand out. First, the current test price has been in place since 2010. Twenty-ten! Which of us in other walks of life would tolerate doing something without a price rise for 16 years? Seasoned British MOT testers must have '£54.85' engraved on the insides of their skulls.  Second and most important, many of the small garages of this world are far less solvent than they used to be. MOT testing stations disappear with regularity because their proprietors can’t afford to stay in business. And if you consider – as industry stats show – that of the UK’s 35 million cars in regular use, 85% are more than three years old and thus need annual testing, it’s easy to see why we need healthy test stations, preferably staffed by contented, even-handed testers. Further arithmetic shows that every year, 29.75 million cars, between three and 39 years old, need testing. Assuming testers don’t work Sundays, around 95,000 MOT tests are needed in this country every single day. It’s a serious business. But there’s much more to this than statistics. It is inside the independent garages of Britain that most of our practical car knowledge reposes. It’s also where lifelong car enthusiasm burns brightest. I’m not knocking big-note dealerships; most are professional and ethical. They’re needed too. But as their Taj Mahal estates show, they’re often more motivated by a love of money than a love of cars. Everyone has a small garage story, but here are a couple of mine. When I was young, working in the far north of Australia, I was offered my first job interview as a motoring journalist. This entailed an 1800-mile drive in my old Merc, broken beyond my means to repair it. There was one mechanic in town, Tom Brown by name, who said he’d fix it as long as I sent him the cash “when you can”. He also made sure I had £100 “to pay for the petrol south”. It took me five months to pay him back – and when we met again and I pressed the notes into his hand, he smiled so widely you’d have reckoned it was me doing the favour. Much more recently, I enjoyed a continuing soap opera starring a master mechanic near Farnborough that our little community knew as Gerry the Genius. He was forever getting difficult cars back on the roads, casually discovering, for instance, that a super-expensive starter motor for an Alfa Romeo could actually be sourced at £20 from a crashed Vauxhall; that kind of thing. Gerry was a genius with wiring too, having been involved further back in his career with intricate, secret work for a nearby defence supplier. He was amazingly dextrous; locals who couldn’t get a new headlight bulb to fit (many are impossible these days) would bring it for Gerry to sort with a twist of the wrist. Any cost? Nah. His finest hour – that I saw, at least – was the repair of a well-used but much loved Audi. The car had been rear-ended at low speed by a tractor, and the damage to its tailgate and driver’s side rear pillar was horrible. The owner knew that telling his insurers wouldn’t work. They’d write it off over the phone. Gerry set to work, finding a new tailgate on eBay, drilling holes in the damaged pillar, adapting jacks as pullers, thinking and banging and beating and filing. And filling too, but not too much of that. He hated filler. All the time the banter continued, as it always does in these places, with Gerry’s amazing hands refusing to be distracted by the jokes. In a few days, the Audi was done, including perfect painting, which Gerry seemed able to pull off behind a few sheets of plastic in his old barn without needing all the modern gubbins. History doesn't record the cost, but it won’t have been as much as £1000. All of which is why I believe in these people, and thoroughly support anything that helps them stay in business. As it turns out, I’ve got a test booked for a motorbike tomorrow at 7.30am. The tester, another sole trader and one of God’s good men, happened to hear that I was under time pressure so he offered what he calls “an emergency appointment”. He’ll be no pushover as a tester but I know that if the chain needs lube or one of the hydraulic reservoirs looks a bit low, he’ll sort it as he goes. It will be fine. So here’s to next time. And I hope it costs more.

8/21/2026

US brand planned to launch cars in the UK this year, but is reconsidering as market "evolves rapidly" General Motors is reconsidering its plan to relaunch Cadillac in the UK, citing uncertainty in a "rapidly evolving" marketplace. Speaking to Autocar last year when he was CEO of GM Europe, Pere Brugal said the brand would return "soon", starting with the Lyriq - a rival for the BMW iX5 and Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV. He called the UK "one of the [markets] that we're focusing on" and said a launch was "coming close". But the company has yet to make a firm commitment on a launch date and, a year later, has set up only one dealer for right-hand-drive Cadillacs: Charles Hurst in Dublin, Ireland, which offers the Lyriq alongside the smaller Optiq and seven-seat Vistiq. Just 20 Cadillacs were registered in the UK between July 2025 and March 2026. Of these, 16 were the new EV models. GM-authorised and London-based dealer Clive Sutton continues to import left-hand-drive Cadillac Escalades. Read more: Has Cadillac ever succeeded in the UK? A GM spokesperson told Autocar: "As the UK market and EV landscape continues to evolve rapidly with new competitors emerging, we are actively reviewing our future Cadillac plans to ensure they remain aligned with market conditions and customer demand, and we will continue to assess future opportunities accordingly." The threat of new Chinese brands in the premium sector has left little room for Cadillac to break ground in the UK. Many newcomers have launched electric SUVs comparable to those of the US marque. Also, Europe's biggest premium brands - chiefly BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo - have recently launched new and upgraded models. The reappraisal comes as Cadillac adjusts its wider global strategy. The brand had originally planned to go electric-only by 2030. However, on its recent first-half earnings call, GM CEO Mary Barra said: "Starting next spring and continuing into 2028, we will begin launching the next generation of Cadillac ICE vehicles." A new generation of the CT5 - its BMW 5 Series rival - is among these models.

8/21/2026

This is your handy guide to every new car coming in 2026 and 2027 This year has already been one of the busiest yet for the car industry, with plenty of models – and entirely new brands – making their debuts. And the momentum will only keep rolling as 2027 approaches, bringing high-profile arrivals from all corners of the world. From the baby EVs that didn't seem possible only a few years ago to rip-snorting V8 supercars and VIP-hauling vans, there's something here to catch the eye of everyone. Here's our breakdown of every new car coming to the UK in 2026 and 2027, from Aion to Zenvo. Every new car coming in 2026 Aion UT On sale October New to the UK but long established in China, Aion is adding this Volkswagen ID 3 rival to its line-up in the coming weeks. Due to be priced from £28,950, it has 204bhp and a range of 268 miles. Everything you need to know about the Aion UT Alpine A110 EV On sale 2027 The long-awaited follow-up to one of the best sports cars in decades will be electric – and, Alpine's bosses claim, even better for it. The new Alpine Performance Platform will allow similarly low-slung proportions to those of the old A110, thanks to its use of two battery packs: one under the front bonnet and the other where an engine would traditionally sit. Everything we know about the Alpine A110 EV Aston Martin Valen On sale 2027 Crikey. This £1.5 million limited-run supercar is the most powerful front-engined car yet, boosting the Vanquish's 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 to 838bhp. It also introduces more aggressive design cues that could influence future Astons, including an angry snout. Everything you need to know about the Aston Martin Valen Audi A2 E-tron On sale December New EV riffs on the cult-classic, MPV-aping supermini. Just like the original, it is focused strictly on efficiency: even the sidewalls of its tyres are shaved down to reduce drag.  It will be the new entry-level Audi, indirectly replacing the A1 and Q2 that went out of production earlier this year, with pricing tipped to start around £30,000. Read our review of an Audi A2 E-tron prototype Audi A6 Allroad On sale October Allroads lead to this: a comeback for Audi’s 4x4-lite sub-brand. This jacked-up, bulked-out take on the latest combustion-engined A6 estate is the first in a new line of rugged executive cars. Everything you need to know about the new Audi A6 Allroad Audi Nuvolari On sale 2027 Surprise replacement for the R8 – at least in spirit – puts striking new bodywork on the Lamborghini Temerario's underpinnings. It is the first car to wear Audi's new look, and it serves as a "statement for the future". Everything you need to know about the Audi Nuvolari Audi Q7 On sale September Audi reinvents its seven-seat SUV with clever interior tech which includes MagSafe wireless phone chargers that prevent your mobile from going flying as soon as you approach a slight curve. It keeps diesel power, too. Read our Audi Q7 review Audi Q9 On sale December Indirect replacement for the A8 saloon is a towering SUV – so wide that it won't fit through a great many of the UK's urban width restrictors. European cars will be offered with a diesel V6 at first, while the US and Middle Eastern markets get the option of a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. Everything you need to know about the Audi Q9 Bentley Torcal On sale 2027 This is a big moment for a mainstay of the luxury market: it's Bentley's first electric car.  Closely related to the Porsche Cayenne Electric, it could pack north of 1000bhp in its most potent form and will offer a range of more than 300 miles. And, rather than replicating the roar of a big combustion engine, its acceleration will be soundtracked by drums. Everything we know about the Bentley Torcal BMW 7 Series On sale December New look shrinks the limousine's mahoosive front grille, and there are big changes inside. The electric i7 will now be capable of covering 457 miles between charges. Everything we know about the new BMW 7 Series BMW i3 On sale December The BMW 3 Series is going electric globally for the first time, offering 567 miles of range and reinterpreting design cues from the brand’s back catalogue. It promises to be the keen driver’s choice, thanks to BMW’s new 'Heart of Joy' computer that unites all of the car's key systems onto one chip. This, it claims, will bring tangible benefits to stability, agility and comfort, matching those of the combustion-engined 3 Series. A Touring estate version is also on the way. Everything we know about the BMW i3 BMW M3 On sale 2027 The 3 Series' Neue Klasse rebirth extends to the high-performance M3, with the first electric version of the super-saloon due next year. M boss Frank van Meel has described the EV as the "worst enemy" for the renewed petrol M3 that is also on the way. It will deploy four electric motors to unlock new dynamic capabilities. Everything we know about the electric BMW M3 BMW X5 On sale August Will offer the broadest powertrain array of any BMW to date: petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid, battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell. The EV will have the biggest battery of anything on sale currently, at a huge 140kWh. Everything you need to know about the new BMW X5 BYD Ti7 On sale 2027 Boxy family SUV looks a little familiar – and will break new ground for BYD as it pushes further upmarket. It will major on value for money, offering a 402bhp plug-in-hybrid powertrain with an electric range of 74 miles for £47,995. Everything you need to know about the BYD Ti7 Cupra Leon VZ TCR On sale November Limited-run special will follow the Leon VZ and draw on Cupra’s touring car racing experience, with wider rubber and more aggressive aero. Its turbocharged four-cylinder engine is also dialled up to 321bhp and 310lb ft. Read our Cupra Leon VZ review Cupra Raval On sale September Seat’s sporty sibling brand has led the Volkswagen Group's MEB+ EV project and created an angry-looking hot hatch packing up to 223bhp and a more focused chassis set-up. Read our Cupra Raval review Dacia Spring Mk2 On sale 2027 Dacia's next-generation EV is expected to cost around £16,000, which will make it one of the most affordable cars on sale. It will be based on the new Renault Twingo, and its design will take inspiration from Dacia's chunky SUVs. Everything you need to know about the Mk2 Dacia Spring Dacia Striker On sale December Petrol-powered and rough-road-ready, this Skoda Octavia-rivalling estate is tipped to cost from less than £22k. Everything you need to know about the Dacia Striker Denza Bao 5 On sale November One of three new cars coming to the UK from BYD-owned luxury brand Denza, the Bao 5 is a plug-in hybrid 4x4 capable of a Land Rover Defender Octa-humbling 677bhp and 0-62mph in 4.8sec. Read our Denza Bao 5 review Denza Z BYD goes Porsche 911 hunting with this sleek electric sports car packing a big punch: its three motors combine for 1584bhp, allowing it to hit 62mph from rest in 1.96sec. Read our Denza Z review DS No7 On sale October Couture rebrand is intended to drag the French firm back into the fray with an edgier design and the addition of an electric model with a range of 460 miles. Read our DS No7 review Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale On sale 2027 The first manually shifted Ferrari in 14 years – and the first with a V12 since the 599 GTB – is a £508k special edition of the 12Cilindri. Curiously, it retains the existing 12Cilindri's dual-clutch automatic gearbox: gears are rowed not through a physical linkage but by wire, meaning it can still be used in automatic mode if so desired. Everything you need to know about the Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale Fiat 500 Hybrid On sale September The petrol-powered 500 returns. Sort of. A beardy 64bhp 1.0-litre engine has been crammed into the 500e's EV platform – just don't mention the 16.2sec 0-62mph time. Read our Fiat 500 Hybrid review Fiat Grizzly Bigger sibling of the Grande Panda is the car with which Fiat hopes to finally crack the family SUV market. It will be based on the same underpinnings as the Panda, Citroën C3 Aircross and Vauxhall Frontera, likely offering the same range of petrol, hybrid and electric powertrains. Everything you need to know about the Fiat Grizzly Genesis GV90 On sale 2027 Say hello to Korea's Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Based on the Kia EV9, the GV90 is an ultra-premium, six-seat SUV that stays remarkably faithful to the dramatic Neolun concept – right down to the reverse-opening doors. Everything you need to know about the Genesis GV90 Hyundai Elantra On sale 2027 The latest iteration of Hyundai's executive saloon stands out in style terms with a muscular new look. It's yet to be confirmed for the UK but, Autocar understands, is being evaluated for import here. Everything you need to know about the new Hyundai Elantra Hyundai i20 On sale 2027 Big changes beckon for Hyundai's petrol-engined  supermini. A Brazilian-market version was shown earlier this year, and although it is understood to differ from that which is coming to the UK and Europe, it hints at what we can expect.  Everything you need to know about Brazil's new Hyundai i20 Hyundai Ioniq 3 On sale September New mid-sized hatchback blends a striking 'aero-hatch' design with proven Hyundai EV hardware. It will be priced from just £22,245. Read our Hyundai Ioniq 3 review Hyundai Staria EV On sale September Wacky rival to the Ford Tourneo has gone electric, earning it the green light to finally come to the UK. It will offer seating for seven, 249 miles of range and 216bhp, but prices remain to be confirmed. Everything we know about the Hyundai Staria EV Hyundai Tucson On sale 2027 One of the UK's best-selling cars has a dramatic new look – and bolder ambitions than ever before. Now 4.7m long, the biggest Tucson yet will battle against the likes of the Skoda Kodiaq and Honda CR-V. Everything we know about the new Hyundai Tucson Jaguar Type 01 On sale 2027 Oh, come on, you know all this by now. The biggest unveiling of 2024 will be followed by the biggest launch of 2026. JLR isn’t looking back as it kick-starts a complete, ground-up reinvention of the storied leaping-cat marque – partly because this imposing electric super-GT doesn’t have a rear window. Read our comparison between the Type 01 and Jaguar icons Jeep Avenger On sale September Jeep's smallest SUV gets a new look inspired by the Compass, bringing a light-up grille and some fresh materials inside. Read our Jeep Avenger review Kia EV3 GT On sale September Stocky electric crossover sets its sights on the Cupra Born VZ. New GT version employs two motors for a significant bump in power from the standard car’s 201bhp to 288bhp. Read our Kia EV3 GT review Kia EV4 GT On sale July Hot version of the electric hatchback aims to offer a mix of performance and real-world usability, with engagement boosted by Kia’s simulated gearbox system. Sits lower and stiffer, too. Read our Kia EV4 GT review Kia K4 Sportswagon  On sale October Ceed replacement will sprout a Skoda Octavia Estate rival alongside a fleet-friendly K4 Hybrid. Read our Kia K4 review Kia Seltos On sale September Second-generation ICE crossover is coming to the UK for the first time, positioned between the Niro and Sportage. Read our Kia Seltos review Land Rover Defender Dakar On sale 2027 A road-going version of the car that took class victory in the 2026 Dakar rally, this mad Defender packs a 626bhp V8 and a drive mode specially configured for jumping it over sand dunes. Everything you need to know about the Defender Dakar Land Rover Defender Sport On sale 2027 The Defender is JLR's best-seller, so launching a more affordable one is a no-brainer. Expected to replace the Discovery Sport, the new entry-level Defender model will be a fierce rival to Mercedes' upcoming 'Little G'. Everything we know about the Land Rover Defender Sport Lamborghini Revuelto SV On sale 2027 Lamborghini's most powerful car yet has a huge 1051bhp to out-muscle the rival Ferrari 849 Testarossa. A new aero kit also means it generates 80% more downforce than the standard Revuelto. Everything you need to know about the Lamborghini Revuelto SV Lamborghini Urus SE Performante On sale 2027 The hottest Lamborghini SUV has 800bhp and 737lb ft thanks to its combination of a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and electric motor. Everything you need to know about the Lamborghini Urus SE Performante Leapmotor B03X On sale August This boxy electric crossover from the Stellantis-backed Chinese brand is a circa-£25k Ford Puma Gen-E rival. Read our Leapmotor B03X review Lotus Eletre X On sale 2027 With sales plummeting and debts increasing, it’s looking like massive luxury EVs weren’t the key to Lotus’s future. Are massive luxury PHEVs the answer? We'll find out when the 939bhp Eletre X arrives. Everything we know about the Lotus Eletre X Mazda CX-6e On sale September Electric SUV co-developed with Changan is coming to the UK, bringing with it a huge 26in infotainment touchscreen. Although it's not strictly a Mazda underneath, it points the way for the next iteration of the brand's design language. Everything we know about the Mazda CX-6e Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 On sale September The hot version of the electric CLA saloon packs a whopping 671bhp – and despite having no engine it simulates the pops and bangs of the outgoing combustion-engined A45. Everything we know about the AMG CLA 45 Mercedes-AMG G63 Cabriolet On sale 2027 The drop-top G-Class returns after more than a decade. Everything we know about the new Mercedes G-Class Cabriolet Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé On sale September The future of Mercedes' performance arm is a car of big numbers: 1169bhp, £150,000 and 432 miles of range, to name a few. The range-topping GT 63 also replicates the sound and vibration of AMG's signature V8s, but, curiously, the lower-rung 53 variant has a straight-six character instead. Read our first drive review of an AMG GT 4-Door Coupé prototype Mercedes-AMG GT SUV On sale 2027 AMG's first bespoke SUV is expected to be a higher-riding version of the new 4-Door Coupé. Expect similarly bombastic performance and EV credentials. Mercedes-Benz C-Class Electric On sale October Like the BMW i3, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class has gone electric for the first time. It majors on interior tech, offering the biggest touchscreen yet fitted in one of the brand's cars, and it has up to 472 miles of range. Everything we know about the Mercedes C-Class Electric Mercedes-Benz GLA On sale October Crossover counterpart of new CLA goes after BMW X1 and iX1 with a choice of ultra-efficient combustion and electric powertrains. Everything we know about the new Mercedes GLA Mercedes-Benz GLE On sale September BMW X5 rival gets stars in its eyes as part of an update to bring it into line with new design cues. Everything we know about the new Mercedes GLE MG 2  On sale 2027 MG's long-awaited rival for the Renault 5 was previewed by the Go concept shown at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. Designed in Britain, it will be key to the brand's growth aspirations. Everything you need to know about the MG Go Mini Countryman off-roader On sale 2027 A roof tent, all-terrain tyres and chunkier styling beckon for the maxi Mini as it looks to appeal to new audiences. Everything we know about the rugged new Mini Countryman Nissan Wave On sale 2027 Based on the Renault Twingo, this electric city car is expected to become Nissan's most affordable model when it arrives next year. It will draw on the brand's 'Pike Cars' from the 1980s and ’90s for a cute retro design. Everything you need to know about the Nissan Wave Omoda 4 On sale November Yet another Chinese SUV, but this time a pretty eye-catching one that draws inspiration by outer space. Expect both ICE and electric versions. Peugeot e-208 GTi On sale June The first Peugeot GTi in yonks is unashamedly inspired by the legendary hot 205. It has the mettle to back it, too, with a 277bhp electric motor and a limited-slip differential. Everything we know about the new Peugeot e-208 GTi Polestar 4 SUV On sale 2027 Swedish brand's strange coupé-crossover gets a rear window as it becomes a more traditional family SUV. It will be vital for growing sales as Polestar faces financial struggles. Everything we know about the Polestar 4 SUV Porsche 911 GT3 S/C Drop-top GT3 is claimed to handle identically to the hard-roofed version, thanks to a few parts pinched from the limited-run 911 S/T. It weighs 1497kg (28kg more than a GT3 coupé) and is priced from £200,500. Read our Porsche 911 GT3 S/C review Range Rover Electric On sale October This could be the best off-road EV yet, although thus far it has proved pretty good at being off the road: its scheduled 2025 launch has been pushed back to some time this year, allegedly to ensure it’s as capable as possible. Read our Range Rover Electric prototype review Range Rover GT On sale 2027 Most saloon-like Rangie yet is also claimed to be its quietest model yet and is intended to cover great distances with little fuss. It will also be the first EV based on JLR's new EMA architecture. Everything you need to know about the Range Rover GT Range Rover Sport Electric On sale 2027 A Range Rover Sport, albeit with electric power. Does what it says on the badge. Read our review of the Range Rover Sport Electric Renault 4 and 5 updates On sale 2027 Renault's retro EVs will get a new motor derived from that in the Twingo, promising more power and range. Expect new colours and interior combinations to keep things feeling fresh. Everything you need to know about the Renault 4 and 5 updates Renault Twingo On sale 2027 Our favourite small car of 2026 is tiny but sure to have a big impact, with pricing expected to start at around £18,000. Read our Renault Twingo review Skoda Peaq On sale 2027 New Skoda flagship is a seven-seat EV designed to offer maximum practicality. Skoda claims generous leg room and, with the third row of seats folded flat, a big 890-litre boot. Pricing will start at £51k. Read our first drive review of a Skoda Peaq prototype Skoda Epiq On sale 2027 A questionably named but reassuringly no-nonsense little Skoda crossover. As close as we will get to an electric Fabia for the foreseeable future.  Read our review of a Skoda Epiq prototype Smart #2 On sale December New two-seat city car revives the spirit of the original Smart car. And yes, it's smaller than the #1. Don't think about it too much. Everything we know about the Smart #2 Subaru E-Outback On sale September Oddball Solterra SUV has been remoulded into an even odder raised-up estate with a 376bhp dual-motor powertrain and a familiar name. Everything we know about the Subaru E-Outback Suzuki e-Sky On sale 2027 Like the Honda Super-N, the e-Sky will be based on one of Japan's diminutive kei cars. To that end, expect a low price and outsized practicality for such a small car. Everything you need to know about the Suzuki e-Sky Toyota GR GT On sale 2027 After years of rumours, teasers and concepts, Toyota's thoroughbred is finally here. Packing a hybridised twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, the GR GT puts out 641bhp and 627lb ft, although Toyota has said these numbers could increase as development continues. It's targeting a top speed of 198mph. Notably, there isn't a single Toyota badge on it. We're keenly awaiting our first go, but we expect it to become a mainstay of the race track before hitting the road in significant numbers. Everything we know about the Toyota GR GT Toyota Yaris Cross On sale October Big-selling hybrid crossover gets a light retouch with a honeycomb grille and new headlights. The entry-level 116bhp model has been dropped, but prices across the rest of the range aren't expected to change significantly. Everything we know about the updated Toyota Yaris Cross Vauxhall Corsa GSE On sale September Vauxhall hot hatches are back! The new Corsa GSE is the brand's first spicy supermini since the Corsa VXR was discontinued more than eight years ago, and it packs nearly twice as much power as the regular Corsa Electric. It also gets an overhauled chassis and styling inspired by the classic Nova GSi. Everything we know about the Vauxhall Corsa GSE Volkswagen Golf Hybrid On sale October With demand still surging for combustion-engined cars and at least another decade until they must be taken off sale in Europe, car makers are racing to clean up their ICE offerings to shore up sales – and keep emissions down – in the build-up to full electrification. That’s why Volkswagen is making the landmark decision to introduce a full-hybrid powertrain to the huge-selling Golf next year. This new series-parallel system will work a bit like that of the Honda Civic, in that the Golf Hybrid will be able to drive on electric or petrol power at any given time or both when called for, with up to 170bhp at its disposal. Everything we know about the Volkswagen Golf Hybrid Volkswagen ID Cross On sale November An SUV-styled version of the new ID Polo (below), this Ford Puma Gen-E rival is the same size as today’s combustion-engined T-Cross. It offers either 196 or 271 miles of range, and pricing is expected to start at around £25,000. Read our first drive review of a Volkswagen ID Cross prototype Volkswagen ID Polo On sale November At long last, Volkswagen takes on the super-popular Renault 5 with a £22,000 electric supermini that inherits a famous name from the ICE era. Read our Volkswagen ID Polo prototype review Volkswagen ID Polo GTI On sale December Wolfsburg’s first electric hot hatch has the weight of umpteen inestimable forebears on its shoulders – and it lives up to expectation, as we found in our exclusive first drive of one in Wales. Read our exclusive first drive review of a Volkswagen ID Polo GTI prototype Volkswagen ID 3 Neo On sale October VW's first ground-up EV has been a bit overlooked of late. A new design, a higher-quality interior and powertrain upgrades should put the hatch back on the map. Everything we know about the Volkswagen ID 3 Neo Volkswagen ID Tiguan On sale 2027 It’s not often that a mid-life facelift is so extensive that the model warrants a new name, but the ID 4 will be so heavily updated that it will be more like a new-generation car – and Volkswagen wants it to be seen as a logical EV alternative to its best-selling Tiguan. Expect styling influenced by the ID Cross concept, a completely revamped interior (with more buttons) and big upgrades for the internals. Everything we know about the Volkswagen ID Tiguan Zeekr 7X On sale December Geely, which owns Polestar and Volvo, will launch its Tesla-fighting Zeekr brand in the UK this year. The 7X is a Volkswagen Touareg-sized electric SUV with novel active suspension. Read our Zeekr 7X review Zeekr 7GT On sale September Curvaceous estate is due in the UK later this year, rivalling the Volkswagen ID 7 Tourer with ranges of up to 413 miles and power outputs of up to 637bhp. Read our Zeekr 7GT review Zenvo Aurora On sale November Danish answer to Bugatti promises 1850bhp hypercar with bespoke quad-turbocharged V12 named after Thor’s hammer. Everything you need to know about the Zenvo Aurora

8/21/2026

BMW last year used its Figure 02 robot to support the production of more than 30,000 X3s Autonomous features are turning cars into robots that nag you into paying attention, flash speed limit warnings and slam on the brakes if you’re about to hit something. Fully autonomous taxis and delivery vehicles are on the way, and before long we may see fully autonomous private cars. On top of all that, the way cars are produced is also becoming increasingly robotic. Robots have been used to build cars for more than 40 years. In the past they didn’t resemble the two-armed, two-legged sci-fi variety, but that’s changing, and humanoid robots are already working alongside real people – and the drive to increase their cognitive ability is under way. The Hyundai Group liked what pioneering robot manufacturer Boston Dynamics was doing so much that it bought the company. And Ford is using a Boston Dynamics Spot robot under the watchful eye of its handler at the Halewood plant. It’s fitted with thermal cameras and microphones for detecting heat changes and air leaks to prevent equipment failure and downtime. Spot uses lidar to help it navigate the factory, and it knows to give people the right of way and to stop should anyone get within two metres of it. The use of those two-legged machines is on the rise. Boston Dynamics’ latest creation, Atlas, is a 6ft 2in, 90kg, ‘general purpose humanoid’, and Hyundai intends to mass produce it for use across industrial sites. By 2028 Atlas will be deployed at the Hyundai Group Metaplant America, a new EV plant that makes the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 9 and Sportage Hybrid. The robot’s AI-driven ‘brain’ will be directed to perform ‘sequencing tasks’, which in manufacturing means selecting components and delivering them to a production line in the right sequence, at the right time. BMW introduced a humanoid robot, Figure 02, in collaboration with tech company Figure AI, at Plant Spartanburg in South Carolina last year. Figure 02 supported the manufacture of 30,000-plus BMW X3s over 10 months in the body shop, inserting sheet metal parts for welding. BMW is now moving to Figure 03, which has wireless charging, soft components for safety and speech-to-speech communication. It also has more human-like hands with tactile sensors and cameras to increase precision and dexterity. Elsewhere, scientists at Queen Mary University, London, have come up with a new sensor that generates an array of different colours when pressure is applied. Mounted in robotic fingertips, along with a camera inside each finger, this will allow robotic hands to ‘see’ touch and respond with greater sensitivity. Applications for it could include prosthetics and surgery as well as precision manufacturing.

8/21/2026

Should you be worried about the battery life of an electric car? Not if you pay close attention to our guide For many car owners, the electric car represents an entirely new way of driving and brings with it many queries and worries. One of the largest concerns is how long the battery life is on an electric car. You may well have read horror stories about electric car owners facing hefty bills for replacements or contemplating cutting their losses on cars that are otherwise worthless because they literally don't work. And it’s not hard to see where these rumours and anecdotes come from, because our extensive experience of mobile phones, tablets and laptop computers has shown many that, even over a relatively short period of time, the batteries powering them can quickly lose efficiency, resulting in the need for more frequent charging. In extreme cases, the degradation is so severe that the device won’t even fire up unless it’s permanently on charge, which is obviously no use for an EV. There’s also no denying that battery technology doesn’t come cheap, and should the cells ever need replacement, it’s quite likely that they will cost more to swap than the car is now worth - which is why we tend to replace mobile phones in their entirety rather than replace the battery pack.  Battery swapping stations, where depleted electric car batteries can be changed for fully charged ones in mere minutes, are beginning to crop up in Europe and may offer an answer to battery life queries. But how bad is the electric car battery problem really? The good news is that the more electric cars that are out there and the longer they are run for, the more evidence is produced to show that the power pack will often last the lifetime of the car. Better still, there are plenty of tips and strategies you can follow to make sure your car’s batteries will survive better than most. Battery life for electric cars Generally, electric car batteries last for as long as the rest of the car. But like with your phone or laptop battery, they degrade over time. Ultimately, the cells should still have at least 70% of their capacity even after 200,000 miles, which is the sort of mileage that few cars ever reach, whether they’re combustion-engined or electric.  As an example, a number of Tesla Model S taxis operating from Gatwick airport racked up more 300,000 miles each over three years and all retained at least 82% battery health. Why does an electric car battery lose charge or degrade? The truth is that batteries degrade over time and with use, meaning they become less efficient as they age and provide a shorter range. Continual advances in battery technology mean that issues surrounding degradation of performance are being reduced all the time. However, even the latest lithium ion cells aren’t completely immune to losing performance over time, with a number of factors playing a role.  Perhaps the biggest single contributor to the decline in efficiency is the cycle of use and charging. Frequent draining of the cells followed by a full charge can over time damage the battery’s ability to maintain its optimum energy storage. That's why manufacturers typically recommend charging only to 80% and never letting the range drop to zero miles. Rapid charging also plays a part, because channelling so much electrical energy and so quickly generates much higher temperatures in the battery pack.   Liquid cooling of the cells helps mitigate this, but use a rapid charger frequently and over time these extreme heat cycles will cause damage to the lithium ion packs. In a similar but less extreme way, cars that are used in hotter climates tend to suffer a subtly greater reduction in performance than those used in cooler conditions. How long do Tesla batteries last? Tesla claims its batteries last between 300,000 and 500,000 miles. For a Tesla Model 3 Long Range with a 436-mile WLTP range, that makes for between 700 and 1500 battery charge cycles. We have experience running used Teslas on our fleet, including a four-year-old used Tesla Model 3 that had covered roughly 40,000 miles. Despite this, its battery had degraded only 2%. Hundreds of other examples point to our findings too, so it's safe to say that Tesla batteries can last for a long time and hold their all important percentages.  How can I care for my electric car battery? Happily, there are ways you can help preserve the power and efficiency of your battery over time. One of the major ways of protecting the cells is by carefully managing the charging and discharging of the cells, which in an ideal world means trying to avoid the charge dropping below 20% and not adding more than 80% when charging - above the latter figure is when batteries tend to get hottest, which takes a toll on the cells’ delicate chemistry. Happily, most EVs now give you the option to programme your car’s charging schedule, allowing you to decide when the electricity flows and, crucially, letting you set a cap on exactly how much pours into the cells. By the same token, it’s best not to completely drain the battery. Most EVs will always make sure there’s a bare minimum of energy left even if it won’t allow the car to move, but storing your car for long periods and allowing electricity to leech away is to be avoided. Speaking of charging, it’s best to only use DC rapid chargers sparingly. Although fine for topping up on longer journeys or in emergencies when you need a quick burst of energy, a by-product of rapid chargers’ speed is the increased, lithium-ion-damaging temperatures in the battery as it copes with the electrical onslaught. If the car is to be used in extremes of hot or cold weather, always make sure the car is plugged in to charge (with the maximum limit set to 80%, of course) regardless of range. This trickle-charging technique allows the battery’s thermal management system to continue working and keep the cells at the optimum temperature for longevity. Finally, the way you drive your EV can affect its battery life. Much like rapid charging, quick depletion of the cells can cause damage that over time will lead to reduced efficiency and range. Ultimately, the faster you drive and the more you make use of an EV’s trademark instant torque for lightning getaways, the more you cause damaging heat build-up in the battery. So it’s best to take it steady if you want longevity. Electric car battery warranties Manufacturers are acutely aware that potential electric car buyers could be put off by the possibility of premature and expensive battery failure. The truth is that when treated correctly, most modern lithium ion batteries are likely to last the lifetime of the car. Even so, most firms cover the battery with a separate, extended warranty. Most car warranties are around three years and 60,000 miles, but this is increased for the battery element in EVs. For instance, Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Nissan and Renault cover the cells for eight years and 100,000 miles, while Hyundai ups the mileage limit to 125,000. Tesla has the same eight-year timeframe but a mileage limit of 150,000 on the Model S and Model X, 120,000 on the Model 3 Long Range and 100,000 on all other versions.  And apart from Audi and Tesla, most include a maximum allowable capacity (between 70 and 75%) for the battery, which will trigger a replacement if it dips below this figure during the warranty period.

8/21/2026

Driver assistance systems annoy motorists on real roads, but testing body Thatcham Research is on the case Just inches from the crash test mock-up of a compact SUV, the automatic emergency braking system (AEB) fitted to the Tesla Model Y that is travelling at 12kph towards it deploys, bringing the car to a dead stop. The test is repeated but now at 6kph. This time the AEB doesn't deploy, forcing driver Yousif Al-Ani, principal ADAS engineer at Thatcham Research, to apply the brakes instead. He now swaps the Tesla for a BYD Dolphin Surf. It approaches the target but this time at just 4kph. The AEB cuts in as expected, bringing the car to a stop, but then, two or three seconds later, it drives on. Al-Ani brakes but, as he points out, were this a live scenario - a busy roundabout, for example, where the driver of the BYD mistakenly believes the car in front has pulled away - they could be facing an angry driver and an expensive insurance claim. Had the car they'd rear-ended been a pedestrian instead, the consequences could be far more serious. These events are a fraction of what Al-Ani and his team of engineers based at Retford Gamston airport - owned by Thatcham Research and where the organisation tests vehicle safety and technology - are discovering about AEB and the other features collectively known as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). They know what each is designed to do to satisfy GSR2, the EU safety regulation that mandates them. What the members of Thatcham's event-based testing programme have been doing since it was launched in September last year is understanding how they work in the real world during repeated use, partly on a closed track but mainly on public roads, away from the EU's controlled test environments. The results have surprised them. Four years since GSR2 came into force, many drivers are familiar with how annoying some ADAS features can be with their often indeterminate warning noises, aggressive lane departure corrections, inconsistent and erroneous speed sign recognition and hesitant autopilot behaviours. The Kia Sportage Hybrid that I drove to Gamston applied moderately aggressive steering corrections and sounded frequent alerts in response to speed limit breaches and changes (thankfully, different sounds for each). Meanwhile, in a review of the Leapmotor B10 recently, Autocar's tester described the vehicle's ADAS functions as "some of the most annoying yet fitted to a car. The lane keeping assistance tugs the wheel very aggressively and there's an orchestra of bings and bongs that are hard to tell apart." Al-Ani is acutely aware that badly designed functions undermine the safety argument for ADAS but says car makers are deaf to the subjective criticism that characterises current debate. "If you go to a manufacturer with subjective feedback on their product, they're not interested," he says. "However, if you go to them with objective data - 'Here are the logs. Your car has done this this many times. This is the real-world impact. This is what it's going to cost you in insurance' - they're very responsive to having that conversation." Thatcham's ADAS test project aims to generate data that will make them take notice. Al-Ani and his team use a comprehensive instrumentation system to measure the circumstances around the multiple deployments of each ADAS feature they test, plus its performance in terms of its availability (when and how often it deploys), its ability to collaborate with the driver (whether it can be adjusted on the fly) and its configurability (whether it can be customised). Whether or not warning sounds are differentiated, so that the driver knows what they're being alerted to, is also recorded. Performance is tested in all weather conditions and on all types of roads. Ultimately, it comes down to how usable an ADAS feature is, and if it isn't, whether it will cause drivers to switch it off. To help judge this, the team also scores each system on factors such as how annoying it is, how often it does something they don't want it to do and how often it intervenes when it shouldn't. "With our knowledge of each system's limitations, we can tell manufacturers that if they make a system to this level, most drivers will accept it, but if it's below that, they will turn it off," says Al-Ani. "We can tell insurers what is likely to happen when the system is used for real and manufacturers what more they need to do to improve it. We can also go to the regulators and tell them that if they're considering adopting a system for GSR2 or for GB type approval, these are the tweaks they should consider that will mean people actually use the system." Among the team's more startling discoveries so far is how the current EU test standard for intelligent speed assist (ISA) may not be fit for purpose. For this test, ISA systems are assessed based on their accuracy over distance travelled but it can overlook performance at key moments, such as when speed limits change. In contrast, Thatcham's event-based testing measures ISA's accuracy at each of these change points. When applied in real-world conditions across three vehicles, it produced very different results. The worst-performing vehicle, an MG ZS, scored 91.3% accuracy across the driven distance, but when assessed on an event-based metric, Thatcham found that its ISA was 74.3% accurate. So in around one in four events, its ISA was displaying the wrong speed limit. The best-performing vehicle, a BMW i5, scored 98.39% and 90.3% respectively. Al-Ani is unimpressed: "Even the i5, the best ISA of the three cars on our test fleet, is wrong in one in every 10 events. That's not good enough." Thatcham also found the ISA systems it tested displayed speed limits that aren't legal in the UK. They included multiple instances of 5, 10, 15 and 100mph. "When ISA misreads speed limits, it can lead to unexpected or inconsistent system responses. Over time, this risks reducing driver confidence in the technology, which is critical to achieving its intended safety benefits," says Al-Ani. What follows is the scenario where the first thing a driver does on entering their car is turn off as many of its ADAS features as possible. Al-Ani sympathises but believes that greater configurability of systems is the correct way forward. "If the ALK [active lane keeping] is too sensitive, rather than turn it off you should be able to turn it down. BMW is getting very good at offering levels of configurability so the driver can set up the system the way they like it and it stays that way. You don't have to reset it when restarting the car. Until ADAS have improved sufficiently, that's a better condition to have." On the road with Thatcham Thatcham Research's event-based ADAS test programme takes place mainly on public roads but also, for more controlled work, on a closed circuit. Three cars are used: a BMW i5, Tesla Model Y and MG ZS. In terms of their ADAS, says principal ADAS engineer Yousif Al-Ani, they represent around 10% of new cars. Each car sports a roof-mounted, 360deg lidar plus cameras inside for recording the infotainment screen and ADAS functions. These provide forward and roadside views that are key to recording the presence of speed signs and lane markings and the car's position relative to them. Driving the Model Y, Al-Ani showed how its ADAS can do things that prompt drivers to switch it off. The first was how, in autopilot mode, the car slowed excessively for a sharp corner on a main road. Then, entering a built-up area and rounding a corner, it braked excessively for a parked vehicle. "This car has software designed only to pass the EU regulation," says Al-Ani. "In the slow-moving queue we've joined it's brilliant, but for many drivers its unpredictability is enough to discourage them from using it at all." Al-Ani is critical of the way the Tesla's system disengages each time he makes the slightest correction: "It's not collaborating with me, so I become frustrated and leave it off." Later, a bus turns into our road from the right while, a little way ahead, a pedestrian crosses in front of us: "The car braked for the bus when it needn't have and the steering correction was for the pedestrian who was still a safe distance away. The system then disengaged, leaving us in a bad situation with not much time to react. Working at its best, Tesla's system offers real benefits, but drivers need to understand its limitations." Thatcham vs Euro NCAP Like Thatcham Research, Euro NCAP, Europe's main vehicle safety body, is running a real-world test programme to make sure the ADAS technologies it judges in the laboratory are delivering in practice. Every vehicle that it tests is equipped with a suite of exterior and interior sensors to accurately monitor its system's responses to a variety of road signs and conditions. It is driven a total of around 1200 miles in at least three European countries and every reaction is logged. "We have worked on ADAS for years and now we want to make sure the technologies are delivering not only on the test track but on the road," says Adriano Palao, ADAS technical manager at Euro NCAP. "For example, is the lane keeping assist annoying and aggressive? What is the accuracy of the speed limit information? Were there any false braking events? This is the first time we have sought to find out what is the experience of the end consumer." Thatcham Research was an active member of Euro NCAP for 22 years but earlier this year ended its relationship to focus on its own test programmes. Yousif Al-Ani, principal ADAS engineer at Thatcham Research, denies its departure risks weakening Thatcham's power to influence regulators and car makers. "We have quite a lot of power, actually," he says. "We hold the keys to motor insurance risk rating in the UK, the second-biggest car market in Europe. "Vehicle manufacturers listen to us when something threatens their customer base. It's no use having systems that work well in France or Germany where approval testing is carried out but not so well on British roads." Insights from ADAS engineer Al-Ani Lane keeping assist: "We didn't find a single false event in the BMW i5, while the MG ZS recorded just 0.43 per 100km. These latest systems display less aggressive assistance too." Crash avoidance: "In a variety of scenarios, the Tesla Model Y deploys its brakes sooner than the other test cars, although the BMW i5 runs it close. However, instances where the test driver has to intervene are roughly equal between the Tesla and the BMW." 'Ghost braking': "Instances where the cars braked unnecessarily were greatest in the Tesla, at 122 events, versus eight in the BMW and six in the MG. The Tesla's sensitivity has been turned up to exceed the regulation but at the risk of annoying the driver, who will just switch it off. It avoids crashing but is overly sensitive." Lane markings: "Almost a quarter of our test routes had no road markings, meaning we couldn't score a lane keeping event, because the system had nothing to detect. If you [the authorities] want to get the best benefit for road safety, leave the potholes and repaint all the lines." AEB vs LKA: "Autonomous emergency braking has a much bigger impact on safety than lane keeping assist systems." The case for testing: "ADAS can be incredibly effective. But how well vehicles perform outside the regulated test scenario and in all conditions and environments, that's a big unknown. For us it's about finding the differentiation."

8/21/2026

Luxurious new electric MPV looks to find success where the previous EQV didn't – and London will be key Next year’s UK launch of the new Mercedes-Benz VLE will jump-start the market for high-end van-based people carriers from its current low base, predicts Mercedes’ head of vans in the UK. The VLE is based on Mercedes’ new electric VAN.EA platform and will be positioned as a much more premium proposition than the current Vito-based EQV and combustion-engine V-Class. “VLE will actually expand the market here in the UK. It's going to give us a much wider customer base,”  Iain Forsyth, managing director of Mercedes-Benz Vans UK, told Autocar. The EQV has struggled to find a market here in the UK. Just 32 examples were sold in the first six months of this year, down a third on the year before, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The V-Class performed better, with sales of 842. However, the VLE significantly raises the luxury factor with an optional MBUX Superscreen, panoramic roof, ambient lighting and 31.3in retractable rear display. Even higher-spec VLS and VLS Maybach versions are also planned. “They will be distinctly different from the Vito,” said Forsyth. The vehicle has been given a new category title of 'Grand Limousine' on the brand’s website, a promotion from the EQV’s ‘Van’ label, and it promises to be a much more usable proposition for the target chauffeur market. The new 115kWh battery for the launch 300 model offers up to 443 miles of range, compared with 222 miles for the current EQV with a 93kWh battery. The new model has much more charge power, at 300kW versus 110kW for the old one, which means less downtime for chauffeurs and taxi drivers. All new private hire vehicles for the key London market must be zero-emission capable, according to Transport for London’s requirement, which means emitting no more than 75g/km of CO2 with a minimum 20-mile zero-emission range. Most of the big-mileage drivers have turned to plug-in hybrids, but Mercedes hopes the long range and fast charge capability of the VLE will persuade them to switch to electric. “Private hire is really where a lot of the success will come from,” said Forsyth. The posh van has largely elbowed out the stretch limo and is probably squeezing the market for the S-Class, which logged 248 UK sales in the first six months, down 29%.  The unwieldiness associated with driving a van will be partly negated by the rear-wheel steering. “Manoeuvring the tight streets of London will definitely become much easier than that in a V-Class,” said Forsyth. The brand is hopeful the long range will also appeal to families, whose choices for more car-like electric passenger vans are currently restricted to the Volkswagen ID Buzz and new Kia PV5. UK prices have not yet been revealed but in Germany the VLE has been priced from €78,348 (£67,000), compared with €59,100 for the EQV with the smaller, 60kWh battery. A cheaper version of the VLE using an 80kWh battery with lower-cost lithium-iron-phosphate chemistry is also planned. Production of the VLE has already started at Mercedes’ Spanish plant for “select markets”, including Germany.  The VLE makes for an upmarket launch for the VAN:EA platform, which will also underpin future replacements for the Vito. A combustion-engine version of the platform, called VAN:CA, is also planned and will be used to create passenger van versions, likely with the familiar Mercedes diesel. The VLE, while a product of the highly profitable Mercedes Vans division, will stand outside the van organisation in the UK and be sold alongside the brand’s passenger cars.

8/20/2026

Kodiaq-sized SUV is the fourth UK model from Volvo parent's own brand China's Geely will go after the Peugeot 5008 and Skoda Kodiaq with a big plug-in hybrid SUV called the Monjaro. Already on sale in the brand's home market as the Xingyue L, the Monjaro is a 4770mm-long crossover equipped with the same EM-i hybrid powertrain technology as the smaller Geely Starray. The SUV will go on sale in Egypt in August before "steadily expanding into global markets". A European debut is set to follow soon, before a UK launch – likely next year. The EM-i system is a new addition for the Monjaro, which is not yet offered with PHEV power in other global markets, and Geely has not yet given specific details of the powertrain. The Starray EM-i uses a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine and an electric motor to produce 258bhp, with the larger of two available battery options giving an engine-off range of 81 miles. Unlike the front-driven Starray, however, the Monjaro's PHEV powertrain will drive both axles.  The Monjaro will face off with a growing number of Chinese D-segment hybrid SUVs in the UK, including the closely related Omoda 9 and Jaecoo 8, as well as the MG HS, BYD Seal-U and Leapmotor C10. Geely has not given prices for the UK yet, but a starting price in the low £40,000s would position it clearly above the Starray while lining it up with those rivals. The company says the Monjaro will be a "global advanced handling and quality benchmark among the D-SUV hybrid segment", and will serve as the flagship for its growing global line-up.

8/20/2026

This MG ZR took part in the 10k-mile London to Cape Town rally in 2012 – fourteen years later it's still going strong Among the assorted hatchbacks competing in his local rally, Edward Luxton's MG ZR is something of a celebrity. Fourteen years ago, it took part in the London to Cape Town Rally - 29 days of hard driving across some of the world's most unforgiving terrain. Prepared by Owen Turner of Complete Rally Services and crewed by Rachel Vestey and Suzy Harvey, it finished 28th out of 41 cars. And now here it is, at the ripe old age of 25, still doing the business but this time on a challenging course around a military base in north Devon. "It's my first time behind the wheel - until now I've been the navigator and Dad's done the driving - but I'm loving it!" says Edward, an apprentice with National Grid and soon to turn 19. "It may be his last chance if he carries on the way he is," says his dad. It's banter, of course at this early stage of his career, it wouldn't do for the kid to be too cocky. In any case, out of the driving seat there's maintenance work to be done. Edward lets slip that his dad has a collection of ZRs and Rover 25s that runs into double figures, most of them, like Edward's ZR, sourced from Facebook. More than 10? "A few more than that," he says. It sounds crackers until you remember how popular the MG ZR once was. In fact, during the four years that it was on sale (from 2001 to 2005), it was one of Britain's most popular small sporting hatchbacks and it became a firm favourite with younger, cash-strapped drivers in its later years. It was offered with a choice of engines - petrols represented by 16-valve K-series units ranging from a 1.4-litre to a range-topping 1.8-litre VVC producing 159bhp, and diesels by a 2.0-litre engine available in two power outputs. Towards the end of its life, it attracted the attention of designer Peter Stevens - of McLaren F1 supercar fame – who gave it a well-received facelift. However, one thing bothers me about Edward's ZR: its engine. It's a 1.6. As far as I know, there was never a 1.6 ZR. Correction: there was a 1.6-litre engine but it was used only in the ZR's siblings, the Rover 25 and 45. The government's MOT check service confirms this car's engine capacity as a 1.6, so what's the explanation? A call to Owen Turner provides the answer. "The class rules of the rally dictated that 1600cc was the maximum size, so I fitted engines from Rover 45s to the three ZRs I entered. The other two cars are also still being used," he says. Staying with the MOT checker, the car's MOT history makes fascinating reading. Its 2012 test in particular reveals just what a state it was in on its return from the London to Cape Town Rally. It failed on 11 serious faults, most notably corrosion of all four coil springs. Today, its suspension is in better shape largely thanks to that ZR/25 collection of Edward's dad, which, says Edward, exists to provide an inexhaustible supply of spare parts. "When something breaks on this one, we cannibalise another for its replacement," he says. It sounds like a sad end for a once well-regarded model but at least those 10 or so ZRs/25s are helping to sustain one of their kin and a young man's dream of rally stardom.

8/20/2026

Rival for the Mercedes eActros and MAN eTGX is bound for European roads following a facelift The Tesla Semi will be sold in Europe, almost a full decade after the electric lorry was first unveiled.  The lorry – which was updated last year with fresh tech and a new look to bring it into line with the Model Y – will be presented at next month’s IAA Transportation show in Hanover, Germany. Tesla said it will confirm European specifications and launch plans at the event. Tesla will be hoping that the Semi can invigorate the electric HGV segment in the same manner as it did with passenger cars a decade ago. Electric lorries from mainstream manufacturers are few and far between, and hauliers remain concerned about their range, charging and carrying capacities. To that end, Tesla claims the Semi is more powerful, more efficient and cheaper to operate than traditional lorries. In the US, it is offered in two specifications. The Standard Range is claimed to be capable of covering 325 miles between charges and its tri-motor powertrain combines to send up to 1073bhp through its dual rear axles. Tesla says it can replenish 60% of its range in 30min when connected to one of its Megachargers, which deliver up to 1200kW. The Long Range version has the same powertrain, but an extended rear section of the cab holds additional batteries that boost its range to a claimed 500 miles. It remains to be seen whether both versions of the Semi will be offered in Europe, but Tesla’s UK website quotes figures for only the Standard Range. For reference, the 40-tonne MAN eTGX has power outputs of between 328bhp and 536bhp, ranges of up to 358 miles and the ability to recharge at up to 1000kW. The Mercedes eActros 600 has a range of 311 miles and is due to gain megawatt charging capabilities in the future. The Semi was first revealed in 2017 but faced a stunted development cycle, and the first examples entered operation with PepsiCo in the US five years later. Tesla has yet to disclose how many Semis it has delivered but recently sold 500 examples to Swedish transport firm Einride, which is claimed to be the biggest single order for the lorry yet.

8/20/2026

Boreham Motorworks is readying is official reimagining of the rally icon for early next year Boreham Motorworks is putting the finishing touches to its £354k Mk1 Ford Escort continuation ahead of deliveries starting early next year - and its creators pledge that the retro, sub-tonne two-door will be unlike anything else available at this price point. The Mk1 RS, having now been revealed in its final production form, is the first in a series of continuation cars created with the official blessing of Ford by a crack team of industry design and engineering heavyweights. Boreham has already confirmed a new take on the RS200 Group B rally car, and the entire Ford catalogue is open to the British firm as it carves out a niche in the performance car market. With the first customer handovers just months away, a test mule is currently being run around British proving grounds in a bid to break Boreham's screaming, race-honed 'Ten-K' engine - an entirely bespoke development that, as its name suggests, redlines at 10,000rpm. With roughly as much power as a Volkswagen Golf R and weighing at least 100kg less than a Mazda MX-5, the Mk1 RS promises to be the quickest and most extreme road-going Escort yet.           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Autocar (@autocar_official)   While Boreham has yet to reveal performance figures, it should keep pace with most modern supercars. But beyond straight-line performance, Boreham is rigidly focused on ensuring its debut model is just as engaging to drive and usable day to day as similar-priced rivals from big-name manufacturers. It will always be a more exclusive proposition, though. Production will ramp up slowly at first: only 10 cars are earmarked for production in 2027, to help isolate any potential hiccups early in the car's life cycle - and only 150 are planned in total. Icon reinvented "We didn't want a car that anybody would either consider or could capably build themselves," John Mitchell, Boreham's director of Ford Heritage (above, left), told Autocar. A member of the original Ford Motorsport team responsible for all Escort RS models, as well as the Capri 2.8 Injection and the Sierra Cosworth, he added: "It just had to be different." Stylist Wayne Burgess - previously a lead designer at JLR and Aston Martin - said his ambition was to build the Mk1 Escort he had always wanted, having previously owned five. Its fundamental structure is based on that of the contemporary touring car campaigned by Alan Mann Racing - which Boreham is also now reproducing to its original specification. This competition Escort had its front axle set 30mm further forward than the road-going car, which, explained Burgess, gives a better dash-to-axle ratio, improving its proportions. "I'm going to sound like I'm describing a Jaguar E-Type here, but this car has all of those classical attributes," he said. Burgess explained that he was "very concerned" with achieving the right relationship between the wheels and body. At 15in, the alloys are larger than the original 13s, but they are still shod with thick-walled tyres, in order to preserve the Escort's signature look. Several designs of wheel will be offered, each paying tribute to those fitted in period, including Rostyles and Minilites. Inside, concessions have been made to usability. There's now a Bluetooth stereo, air conditioning and backlit instruments. However, the rear seats have been removed. The Escort's defining elements have been retained, though. While the six-dial instrument panel is "not the easiest thing to see through a steering wheel", according to Burgess, it had to remain in place as a signature element. "We fixed the crooked [offset] steering column but we kept the instruments," he said. Likewise, there are Breitling rally timers and a five-speed dog-leg gearbox, stirred by a rally-style high-set lever, which was developed specifically by motorsport transmission specialist Holinger to give a precise, 'kerchunk' shift feel. Of all the new elements on the Mk1 RS, Burgess highlighted the bonnet and boot hinges as among his favourites. Having "never designed hinges in my life", he drew inspiration from the Spitfire model aircraft kits he made in his youth. "The design content in this car - the design density - is way beyond a normal volume-production car," he added. Under the skin Chief technical officer Simon Goodliff said Boreham's ambition was to build a car with a "traditional approach but very modern technologies, materials and [methods]". For example, there's electric power steering to assist with low-speed manoeuvring, but this is disengaged at higher speeds to allow greater feel. The new car's basic formula mirrors that of the original, retaining a naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine, a manual gearbox and a live rear axle. "We always wanted to have a live rear axle," said Goodliff. The independent-rear [suspension] Escorts are not the way to go." Much work went into strengthening and lightening those components, however. The rear axle was completely redesigned. It now has a thin-walled casing for its Quaife torque-biasing limited-slip differential, with titanium tubes pressed into the casting, and gun-drilled driveshafts. The new axle saves 40kg alone. Described as a "race engine" by Goodliff, the Ten-K produces 325bhp while weighing just 85kg. It's connected to a dry oil sump and breathes through individual throttle bodies, and a carbonfibre airbox is in development too. "All in, with electric air conditioning and fully leathered, it weighs less than a tonne," said Goodliff. "Depending on the spec, we can build it down to 895kg."

8/20/2026

Affordable electrified vehicles power a huge surge in Chinese car sales, as legacy firms struggle to stay competitive Chinese brands accounted for almost a fifth of all UK registrations in July as newcomers Omoda-Jaecoo and BYD both celebrated their 100,000th UK sale in quick succession. A mix of keen prices, electrified drivetrains and high levels of standard kit are persuading more customers to make the jump, to the detriment of more established brands, which struggle to match them on costs. The share of Chinese brands hit 19.1% in July, according to figures from industry body the SMMT. The January-July share reached 17.7% after total sales ticked over 200,000. Autocar doesn’t include Geely-owned Volvo or Polestar in the tally. The speed at which Chinese newcomers are outpacing brands with decades of presence in the UK market is unprecedented.  Omoda-Jaecoo, a division of Chery, shot past 100,000 total UK sales in July after launching the Omoda brand in August 2024 and Jaecoo in January 2025. The combined share of the two brands reached 4.8% this year, higher than Mini, Hyundai, Mercedes or Skoda. Combined with Chery’s self-titled brand, the company’s share of 6.4% beat that of Ford. Meanwhile, BYD recorded its 100,000 sale in July after launching the brand in March 2023 with the Atto 3. Together with Chery, BYD has become the strongest competitor to SAIC-owned MG, which held a 4.3% share. Behind the big three, Stellantis-backed Leapmotor and Geely’s self-titled brand both passed the 1% share mark in July.  The lightning growth contrasts with the relative slow-burn acceptance of other brands in the UK market. For example, after Hyundai launched in the country in 1982, it was still selling fewer than 10,000 cars annually 10 years later. Tesla, meanwhile, celebrated its 200,000th UK sale in 2024, 14 years after launching its first car. “The Chinese push into the UK market has taken off in the past three years at a speed never seen before,” Ian Plummer, commercial director of Autotrader, told Autocar. “New entrant brands are already on the verge hitting a fifth of the market, a level that five years ago we envisaged they could potentially achieve by the end of the decade.”  The UK is providing ideal conditions for the Chinese brands, who have matured fast enough in their own market to develop models acceptable to UK consumers at prices that reflect much cheaper costs in China. Autotrader reports consumer interest beyond that of their current market share, suggesting more sales are to come. Plummer now predicts a 30% share could be possible by 2030. “Their upward trajectory doesn’t look ready to tail off any time soon,” he said. The UK’s decision not to apply EU-style tariffs on China-built EVs has boosted sales of Chinese brands at a time when more buyers are turning to electric or plug-in hybrids to counter rising fuel prices sparked by the Iran war. China’s car makers accounted for 18% of UK EV sales this year through to July, while their share of PHEV sales so far this year stood at a huge 41%, according to SMMT data. The UK’s appetite for Chinese cars is the highest in Europe. It was China’s third largest export market for its cars after Russia and Brazil, with 255,260 shipped in the first half this year, according to figures from the China Passenger Car Association. Of those, 181,260 were either electric or plug-in hybrid, according to the data, more than double from the same period the year before. Exports have been a boon to China’s car makers, which have been dealing with a sharp market contraction at home, most recently down 21% in July. Exports, meanwhile, grew 54% from January to July compared with the year before.  China’s success has dealt established car makers a blow as they struggle with the costs of electrification. The UK has angled its Electric Car Grant to avoid paying incentives to Chinese car makers, or those exporting from there, but sales haven’t significantly dimmed because the Chinese offer discounts to match. Established car makers have been reluctant to explicitly call on the UK government to impose tariffs equivalent to those levied by the EU on Chinese-built EVs. “I'm not against Chinese and Chinese competition, not at all. The only thing is I want to have fair competition,” Honda’s head of Europe, Hans De Jaeger, told Autocar. “We at Honda have been in the same position and we found our space in European markets.”

8/20/2026

Bentayga-sized flagship kicks off brand's new era with huge battery, cinema screen and coach doors Genesis has stepped up its assault on the luxury car market with the unveiling of a bold new flagship SUV in the mould of the Bentley Bentayga. The new GV90 is the production-ready version of the Neolun concept the brand revealed in 2024 and is larger and more luxurious than any model the company has yet launched. The SUV is the spearhead for a reinvention of the Hyundai-owned Genesis brand, as it marks 10 years since the launch of its first bespoke model, the G90 limousine.  Hyundai Motor Company president and CEO Jose Muñoz called the GV90 a “landmark arrival” because it “opens a new chapter for Genesis, building on our track record of bold innovation, elevated customer experiences and an unwavering commitment to excellence.” Hyundai Motor Company’s design boss SangYup Lee, who co-designed the Bentley Bentayga in a previous career with the VW Group, called the GV90 a “status car”, and said it is “maybe our first true luxury car, as opposed to what you might call a ‘premium’ car”. He told Autocar: “This is a change of gear for us. It’s not for us to judge what its true rivals are: the customer will judge, otherwise it’s egotism. We will continue to listen and respond to them.” He said the GV90 heralds a new era of Genesis as a “pluralist brand, not only focusing in one place” - describing the marque’s three core brand pillars as “luxury, performance, and what we like to call ‘cool factor’. All three have an important place in the future of Genesis”. At almost 5.3m long – larger than its sibling models, the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9 – the GV90 is roughly the same length as the Rolls-Royce Cullinan and the longest, EWB version of the Bentayga. It will be the largest electric car available when it goes on sale in Europe next year.  It rides on an adapted version of the Hyundai group's modular EV architecture, dubbed eMP (Electric Mobility Prime) – which the brand says is "exclusive" for its flagship models – and is “the culmination of Genesis's elevated hospitality ethos", said the firm, referring to its 'Son-nim' policy of treating "each customer as an honoured guest". It has a huge, 3245mm wheelbase, a flat floor throughout the cabin and a slim, upright cockpit, which combine to offer a cavernous, private jet-style interior that's far removed from that of the brand's more mainstream cars. It will be offered with the choice of seven seats or with a VIP-oriented four-seat arrangement (with rotating front seats) in range-topping Neolun trim, which also comes with pillarless, reverse-opening rear doors. An innovative dual-motion, sliding-hinge arrangement means that, unlike those seen previously on the likes of the Mazda RX-8, BMW i3 and Mazda MX-30, they can be opened independently of the front doors, and the back-seat passengers can get in and out more easily. Extra reinforcements to the body shell compensate for the missing B-pillar, but Lee said that the unusual arrangement was one of the biggest challenges in taking the Neolun concept to production. "This car wasn’t just a design exercise; it has really pushed our engineering and manufacturing teams, and our suppliers. A hidden B-pillar on a small car like a BMW i3 is tough, but doable. Executing that on a car this size and weight, and still getting a five-star crash result, was almost an impossible mission." There’s ambient lighting, too, and a 25-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, which brings a new Virtual Venue function that can replicate the ‘signature acoustics’ of arenas such as Boston Symphony Hall and Wembley Stadium. The interior material options have been chosen, Genesis says, “to deliver the attention to detail expected of a flagship” and include genuine stone, wood flooring and cashmere wool. Lee said the primary aim of the design team was to ensure the GV90 retained as many of the Neolun concept's features as possible. "We really tried to deliver everything from that show car: the 24in wheels, the full-width OLED taillights, the hardwood floor with the underfloor heating, and the crystal jewellery-look, cold-injection-moulded, strip headlamps. We didn’t overlook anything. "We actually developed the concept car and the show car simultaneously. The concept had to be finished sooner, and so with some of its features we even managed to improve on them for the production car. The headlights are a great example. On the concept car, these had a more two-dimensional appearance; in the finished production car, they look even better, more jewel-like." Up front, the centrepiece of the cockpit is a whopping 23.6in-wide free-standing touchscreen that runs Hyundai’s new Pleos infotainment system. It can be raised by 90mm when parked to give a 24.6in cinema screen that can play “a wide variety” of multimedia content. There’s a 25in head-up display too, which, Genesis says, allows the driver to see their speed, sat-nav instructions and ADAS alerts without taking their eyes off the road. The GV90's generous footprint also means it can accommodate a colossal, 123.5kWh battery, which is expected to be good for a range of up to 311 miles. Equipped with 800V hardware as standard, the GV90 can charge at up to 350kW, with Genesis claiming a 10-80% top-up in just 22 minutes.  The battery powers a pair of motors – one at the front and one at the rear – which combine to give 648bhp and 590lb ft, making the GV90 more powerful than any EV from the Hyundai group stable so far, including its hot new GV60 Magma sibling.  Each motor is equipped with its own limited-slip differential – a first for the company – to optimise power delivery at each corner in all conditions, and rear-wheel steering is fitted as standard. Genesis says the result is “agile handling” in high-speed corners, and greater control on slippery or rough roads.  Adjustable multi-chamber air suspension configures the ride height to suit the conditions and uses dual-valve adaptive dampers to achieve the optimum balance of bump isolation and body control.  The windows are more than 5mm thick all round for maximum noise-cancelling qualities, while the windscreen has a thin metal coating that can defrost the glass independently of the in-car climate control. The optional panoramic roof is equipped with liquid crystal technology that allows its transparency to be controlled across six individual sections.  The GV90 will go on sale in South Korea next month and Europe in the first half of 2027, with precise timings for a UK entry still to be confirmed. There is no indication of price yet, but it will be comfortably the firm’s most expensive model, with orders set to open north of £100,000.

8/19/2026

Chunky new Art of Steel design language brings Hyundai's best-selling car into its fifth generation Hyundai has reinvented its best-selling Tucson crossover with a bold new 4x4-inspired look for its fifth generation. Revealed overnight in Korea, the new Tucson is described as "bolder and more robust" than today's car, which is one of the most popular mid-sized SUVs on sale, ranking in the UK's top 10 best-selling cars for the past four years in a row and becoming the world's seventh-best-selling car in 2025. The Toyota RAV4 rival's chunky new look is in keeping with Hyundai's new Art of Steel design language, which was introduced with the second-generation Nexo and will be rolled out across the line-up over the coming years. Defining features include an upright, two-box silhouette that departs from the outgoing car's rounded form, and distinctive lighting signatures including a new H-shaped motif at both ends formed by a slim, wraparound light bar and vertical daytime-running lights. Dramatically swollen arches, lower body cladding and a prominent skid plate, meanwhile, add an element of off-road flavouring and help to give the "stable stance characteristic of an SUV", says Hyundai. At 4700mm long, the new Tucson is a significant 180mm longer than the current car, which effectively bumps it from the C-segment into the D-segment, where it will more directly compete with the likes of the Skoda Kodiaq, Honda CR-V and Renault Austral. It's also around 100mm longer between the axles, with a wheelbase of 2785mm, and 40mm wider, which Hyundai says means it offers "best-in-class interior space". Head room is also up in the second row by 29mm – most likely a result of the flatter roofline – and the back doors now open wider to make it easier to get in and out of. The cabin itself is a dramatic departure from that of the current car, following the new Ioniq 3 in adopting a cleaner and more minimalist treatment centred on a substantial touchscreen, with a slim digital display above the squared-off steering wheel said to "minimise driver distraction".  Hyundai has given no details yet on which powertrains it will offer in the new Tucson; the current car offers the choice of mild, full and plug-in hybrids, as well as a cheaper pure-petrol engine.

8/19/2026

Voltempo's coach-sized 'smart trailer', to be tested and built in UK, boosts capacity by 15% Electric vehicle specialist Voltempo is developing a cabless, autonomous rigid lorry that’s 15.6m long, exceeding the current maximum length for a non-articulated lorry, which the company claims will maximise space and payload. The prototype aims to extend a rigid truck’s proportions and capacity beyond the current maximums of 12m, 32 tonnes and four axles to 15.6m, 42 tonnes and five axles, making it the same length as a coach. Removing the cab frees up weight and space, creating what Voltempo founder and corporate development officer Michael Boxwell dubbed a “smart trailer”. Berkeley Coachworks is constructing the body and a prominent truck manufacturer is supplying the electric drivetrain. The prototype is scheduled for completion by September 2027 and testing is expected to start later that year at an autonomous vehicle test track in South Wales. The UK’s Automated Vehicles Act allows driverless vehicles to travel on public roads from this year, so trials could extend to the highway. Production is tipped to begin in late 2027, with first deliveries expected in mid-2028. “If you get rid of the cab, you’ve got a 15.6m-long, longer semi-trailer, in effect,” said Boxwell. “An articulated tractor and trailer unit is about 15-17 tonnes as a diesel vehicle, and as an electric vehicle, it’s maybe 19 tonnes. With this smart trailer, we can get the laden weight down to between 10 and 12 tonnes as an electric vehicle. That means you’ve got 15% more space compared to a standard-length trailer. “You’ve got a significant amount of extra payload – five to seven tonnes – and, bearing in mind the weight of a cab is two tonnes… we worked out that your typical HGV is carrying 16 tonnes on average. Now, we can make it 18.6 tonnes, because of the extra space. You’ve got something which is 1.5m shorter than an articulated HGV, but your average weight on the road is three times lighter because of the rigid body.” According to Boxwell, every truck manufacturer in Europe has signed up to approve the prototype as an official vehicle classification and “they are prepared to build vehicles to that specification”. He said production versions would first be built in the UK, then on the continent. “We will get British hauliers in on the act before anybody else,” he said. Boxwell added that the first vehicles are likely to be deployed on fixed routes, which would first need to be approved by local authorities, and he expects the number of routes to increase if initial attempts prove successful. He also said the prototype’s greater length and capacity could reduce the number of trucks on the road and that autonomy may help to address the ongoing driver shortage.

8/19/2026

Exclusive: McGovern addresses "disinformation" around his exit from Gaydon, and maps out next steps Gerry McGovern is in his element, leaning back in a comfortable chair, clad in a characteristically colourful tailored blue jacket, holding forth on the minutiae of vehicle design and smiling a lot. It's as if nothing has changed since his Range Rover days. We're in a large meeting room with a bunch of late-build prototypes visible through the glass wall. Just down the hall is a big design studio. What's different is that this is Norton Motorcycles' HQ on the outskirts of Solihull, not JLR down the road. Once a John Lewis warehouse, it is now repurposed - as part of a £250 million global 'resurgence' strategy - as Norton's design and development HQ. It's where the company's just-launched flagship superbike, the 1200cc Manx R, is being made. A second model, the 585cc twin-cylinder Atlas adventure bike, designed here but made in India, is arriving in dealerships now. Though we're talking two wheels not four, the similarities to McGovern's former working life are striking. The newly revived Norton company, like Tata-owned JLR, has a well-financed, well-established Indian owner as its backer, the Chennai-based TVS Motor Company that made nearly six million motorcycles last year. Back in 2020, TVS paid £16m to buy Norton out of administration, after a previous owner had attempted to keep it alive by pillaging its pension funds. Its chairman and managing director today is Sudarshan Venu, who led the acquisition of the outfit and is now very much the driver of Norton's expansion. Sudarshan has already been described by McGovern as reminding him of "a young Mr Tata", praise indeed since McGovern's own design skills were rapidly recognised at JLR by the late legendary patriarch, Ratan Tata, who was regarded as unusually design-aware among global business leaders. It was Ratan Tata who introduced McGovern to TVS in the first place. It's 18 months since I've seen McGovern. The last time was at the reveal of Jaguar's Type 00 concept, whose transition to production is nearing conclusion. However, McGovern sensationally left JLR at the end of last year, having allegedly been escorted from the building before returning to leave amicably a couple of months later. There's no polite way of asking exactly what happened, so I dive straight in. "Such a lot has been written about this," says McGovern wearily, "and is disinformation. The reality was in the formal announcement: I decided to move on and try other things. I'd been at JLR for 24 years and was proud of what we'd done. But there's a point where you start wondering how long you can go on. I'd done three generations of Evoque, two of Range Rover and two of Range Rover Sport. Plus the new Defender. That was a lot. And then there was the Jaguar. Leaving was on my mind and I'd been talking to the company about it for a while. So the speculation about me was pretty inaccurate." McGovern feels no animosity or awkwardness towards JLR now: "Why would I? I still love those brands. You can't just walk away. I've got a Defender Octa right now. When I'm in London, I love seeing Range Rovers and Defenders. Twenty years ago when I talked about Defenders in an urban environment, I'd get laughed at..." Foolishly, I make some reference to McGovern's "new roots at Norton" so he reminds me he's known the TVS bosses since well before the Norton acquisition. He was actually at dinner with Sudarshan on the night six years ago when the actual deal was done. McGovern was soon invited to advise TVS on rebuilding Norton's brand, design structure and products, and in 2025 he joined the company officially as its chief creative advisor. You might reckon his arrival spelled difficult times for Norton's existing head of design, Simon Skinner, a straight-talking motorcycle 'lifer' who admitted in his first meeting with McGovern that, as an engineer first and foremost, he had far less specialist design experience than his new mentor. Yet the two have bonded well. Skinner finds McGovern easier to deal with than many other design professionals he could name. McGovern is impressed that Skinner's instinct for reductionist, modernist design matches his own. Skinner, severely short of resources, was previously designing Norton stuff on his own kitchen table; McGovern has helped him establish a proper design structure. And when the current models were mooted, the pair set off to the nearby National Motorcycle Museum to find "salient points" about previous Norton designs that might help. "What impressed me about Simon was that he recognised immediately I was coming to help, not take over," says McGovern. "Also, I don't believe in retro design, and neither does he. What we discovered from investigating Norton's heritage was that the bikes were very forward-looking against their opposition, which was something we could use." McGovern says he approached bike design with trepidation but discovered it had much in common with cars: "If you're developing a brand, you've got to consider its perspective first. What's its reason for being? Where was it born? When was it established? What are its values? Defender's an example. It was born in the country and it liberated people. It was purposeful and took them on adventures. That informed the new design." One challenge to the bike designer with reductionist ideals, says McGovern, is dealing with exposed mechanicals – making components look integrated rather than "like a bag of spaghetti". But painstaking efforts have worked: the Manx and Atlas look graceful and integrated, not least when artfully parked by Skinner next to a selection of spiky-looking opposition products. Bikes are all very well but I'm keen to talk cars again, specifically McGovern's latest Range Rover, in my view his greatest design. It's so perfect that I often wonder if he has an idea in his head that would move it into a third generation – and here's a chance to ask. "Maybe that's why I left," he says, only half joking. "I just couldn't see a new generation. I mean, if you look at the way Range Rover has evolved from the original to where it is now, it does now have a very high level of sophistication. It's pared back to within a fraction of its life. You couldn't refine it any more. Mind you, we would never have reached today's level if we hadn't done the car before it. But another Range Rover like the current one would be a massive challenge." McGovern is intrigued by the arrival of Ferrari's new Luce EV, given that he knows its star designers, Jony Ive and Marc Newson, well and understands car company politics better than most. Ferrari was brave to get such fresh opinions on how much the marque's DNA needed to change for an EV project. McGovern is pretty sure that if the firm had given the job to specialist car designers, they would have produced a less shocking result, but probably less polarising. "What's my own view of the car? I've learned that you never comment on a design until you've seen it in the flesh – and I haven't," he says. "But I look at its interior and I can tell it is built to an extremely high level of quality. Jony Ive is incredible in the way he approaches that." McGovern reckons Ferrari's mistake was how it communicated the Luce's significance. It needed to make clear whether this was the direction for all future Ferrari design, or just electric models, and it didn't. Understandably, McGovern abhors the personal criticism directed at the designers after the car's launch. "I've had some treatment," he says, "but nothing like that." Talking about controversial car projects soon introduces the Jaguar Type 00 – McGovern's own time in the firing line – but he seems to have few regrets about how it went. "Most people hadn't realised that Jaguar needed to be reinvented," he says. "The brand was failing. It had been great in its heyday, but nobody was buying cars. It was losing big money for many years. We needed a complete reimagining of the brand and the product." Behind the eventual Type 00 stood 17 full-size proposals, says McGovern, but knowing that a prestige brand is much more than a concept car, Jaguar's people recognised that they also needed to build and develop the brand values. That's where the controversial 'androgynous people' video came in, so comprehensively hated by the likes of Donald Trump, Elon Musk and even Nigel Farage. "It was taken out of context," says McGovern. "What we were trying to say is that Jaguar had to be unique, a copy of nothing. That film took us into a bigger cultural debate about behaviour; at the time I didn't even know what wokeism was. But it did mean Jaguar was the most talked about brand in the world for four months. And it hadn't been talked about at all for years before that..." McGovern has spent much of our interview being genial and emollient, but when I ask if he reckons history will see the Type 00 as the peak of his design career, he's firm and unflinching in his rebuttal. "You haven't seen the peak yet," he retorts. One car that really is a peak, he will allow, is the latest Defender, surrounded in the beginning by controversy of its own, mainly generated by people who just wanted to keep building the outgoing model, or something a lot like it. "If you do a car and everybody's instantly comfortable with it," says McGovern, "it's probably going to fail. I can remember people coming onto our stands at motor shows and saying I was killing the brand with the new Defender. I'd ask how they'd like it to look and they'd say 'like the old one'. I'd have to explain about the legislation that stopped it." McGovern has been designing cars for half a century. What comes next? McGovern's eyes tell me he thinks about this often. "I want to do new stuff," he says carefully, "and I'm aware there are many opportunities out there. I've had a lot of approaches. I'm very particular about what I want, and who I work with. But I'm definitely going to do more cars. They're in my blood."

8/19/2026

Amid all the talk of cost-cutting on BMW's recent earnings call, there was a moment of awkwardness when one analyst asked whether the Mini brand should be given the chop: “It looks to me that Mini is loss-making. Is that a brand BMW really needs long term?” Unusually, the head of the brand was actually on the call. Stefan Richmann was fielding questions in his other role as group treasurer, but instead of answering he got mock offended. “That hurt me personally,” he said, without clarifying whether the pain arose from an accurate hit or the mere suggestion. BMW doesn't separate out Mini or Rolls-Royce finances, leaving banking analysts to guess, but questions about Mini's profitability have long swirled. In normal times, BMW has the luxury of a healthy group profit margin, but woes in China have cut that to 3.6% in the first half of the year, putting fresh focus on Mini. Mini is an enigma, with a negative to every positive. Sales are thriving, rising 12% in the first half year to 149,535 on the back of demand for the Countryman SUV and Cooper hatchbacks. But the brand is tied to high production costs in Britain (ICE hatchbacks and Convertible) and Germany (Countryman). The Cooper and Aceman EVs are built in low-cost China but attract punitive EU import tariffs on Chinese-built EVs. Mini rules the premium small car market, but true competitors are few and far between, suggesting it's not easy to compete with volume players. Most recently, Audi axed the rival A1. Mini has also aced the EV transition, 37% of its global sales in the first half of 2026 being electric. But with battery costs still elevated, that success also reduces its profitability. Perhaps it's telling that, within the BMW Group, Mini is leading the move to direct sales, a key cost-saver. By selling directly to customers, Mini can charge a single, country-wide price and theoretically reduce discounting. Mini rolled this out in China in 2023, and the BMW brand will now move to the so-called agency model from 2027. A worldwide brand like Mini is just too small to thrive within the new global rules. The newly tariff-imposing US is too niche a market to justify moving manufacturing there. China's future both as a market and an export base is too uncertain. And EU emissions rules threaten its profit margins without a move to lower-cost production locations like Hungary. BMW is unlikely to drop the Mini brand, but a heavy reworking surely awaits.

8/18/2026

You need only hear this legendary race-bred lump at full chat to be convinced From the likes of the 4.0-litre six that powers the 992 GT3 RS to the thunderous dirty dozen in the legendary 917, Porsche knows how to build a boxer engine. They're all brilliant in their own right, but for me the 'Mezger' flat sixes are the absolute cream of the horizontally-opposed crop - partly because of their outrageous performance but also because of the history behind them. Named after Hans Mezger (1929-2020), who led the engineering team behind the original air-cooled 2.0-litre '901' engine in the first 911, the unofficial Mezger nickname most commonly refers to a generation of water-cooled units used in the 996 and 997 GT cars, as well as the 996 and 997.1 Turbo models (even if you could technically apply the moniker to any air-cooled Porsche six). That they have received the surname of the legendary engineer is testament to Mezger's legacy at the company, the fundamental layout of his original 901 flat six going on to function as the basis for every air-cooled flat six that left the Porsche factory over the next three decades, as well as the powerplants used in several of Porsche's race cars. With features like a durable split crankcase and a dry-sump oil system, the engines were, above all else, remarkably tough. Mezger retired in 1993, and four years later Porsche moved away from his air-cooled design for the first time in more than 30 years with the 996. However, the all-new water-cooled 'M96' engine used in the 996 suffered from big problems: cracked cylinder heads, bore scoring and catastrophic intermediate shaft bearing failures (IMS is perhaps the best-known acronym in Porsche enthusiast circles) to name a few. So when the time came to homologate the 996 for motorsport and the brand needed a competitive but reliable powerplant, Porsche headed into the archive for inspiration. Using a derivative of the block from the Le Mans-winning 911 GT1, which itself was derived from Mezger's engine for the 962 Group C racer, Porsche designed a new water-cooled, naturally aspirated 3.6-litre flat six for the 996 GT3 in 1999. It had a split crankcase and was dry-sumped in a similar fashion to its air-cooled predecessors, with a gear-driven IMS rather than the M96's compromised chain-driven one. Before long it came to be known as simply the Mezger by enthusiasts, in recognition of its links to the legendary engineer and to separate this new engine from the problematic M96. The M96/7x (used in the 996) and later M97/7x (from the 997), to use their proper code names, went on to become some of Porsche's most celebrated engines. And, especially in their naturally aspirated guises (3.6-litre, 3.8-litre or full-fat, near-500bhp 4.0-litre), they are simply among the greatest combustion powerplants ever used by series-production cars. They wear their motorsport roots on their cylinder sleeves: the gauges dance wildly and the cam chains rattle around on idle, yet they rev so quickly and freely and produce the most satisfying mechanical howl in the process. And, despite them being more than happy to go well beyond the heady realms of 8000rpm, there's no sense of fragility: the Mezger has powered race and rally versions of the 996 and 997 GT3s without issue, and there are several cases where owners have done hundreds of thousands of miles on their original block with only the most basic of maintenance. Yes, there are Bugatti W16s, Cosworth V12s and Lamborghini V10s to consider, but for longevity, history, reliability and character, this Porsche flat six has to be regarded as one of the greatest engine designs produced by any car maker, ever. Maybe the greatest.

8/18/2026

Much of the confusion that surrounds the controversy over whether or not the government should ease the terms of the ZEV mandate stems from the fact that the arguments are very convincing, and extremely well rehearsed, on either side. Car makers and importers cite several years of severe financial pain, amounting to billions, that have resulted from providing the incentives a sluggish EV car market has needed even to get close to meeting the mandate’s required volume of sales. Providers of charging infrastructure, frequently criticised for tardiness and unreliability as they struggle to turn their investment into profit, are alarmed at the prospect that their flow of customers, and the prices these customers pay, might now be held back by changes they hadn’t expected. Autocar believes government action is urgently needed – and is perfectly possible – to benefit both sides. First, our legislators must urgently ease the gradient at which EV sales are required to rise. Buyers simply aren’t available in the numbers mandated for our industry to continue coping. It seems obvious that for the overall benefit of our country and its economy, car makers that comprise one of its key industries need help.  And much as any review of the ZEV mandate will likely help, the automotive industry really needs further government action. We need to be reassured that the electric Mini can be viably made at Plant Oxford. We must be sure that Nissan’s Sunderland plant can continue to set high global standards for making EVs (and not just those of an arriving Chinese partner). We need to know that because of strong demand and containable costs, JLR can keep the manufacture of most forthcoming electric Jaguars and Land Rovers in the UK, rather than wholly exporting projects as it did with the pioneering I-Pace EV, built in Austria. It’s not as if the industry is anti-progress: its representative body, the SMMT, continues to state in the first line of every utterance that its members firmly embrace a net-zero target for transportation. Infrastructure providers, especially those who specialise in public chargers, must be encouraged by a dramatic VAT reduction. The massive cost difference between public and home charging – an unfair and undeserved penalty on those who live where home charging isn’t possible – has emerged as one of the most glaring anomalies of modern motoring. However, the mammoth change that would benefit all sides would be a permanent, substantial cut in the price of electric energy in the UK. According to The Economist, energy costs here last year were 50-100% greater than those in the prominent countries of mainland Europe, and three times those of the US. The reason? Gas is expensive and sets the ruling power prices; our vaunted renewable sources (though increasing in volume and declining in cost) still can’t provide a steady supply. When there’s a glut in renewables, we’re rubbish at storing it.  The current government came to power promising cheap energy as a top priority. It doesn’t even look like providing it. For the sake of our struggling (and declining) UK motor industry, it needs to do what it promised.

8/18/2026

Chinese giant will use European base to deploy "new designs and innovation" against established brands BYD design chief Wolfgang Egger - previously of Alfa Romeo, Audi and Lamborghini - is going after his previous employers on their home soil with a new Europe-centric design approach for the Denza premium marque. The Chinese giant is ramping up operations at its new European headquarters in Milan, where a dedicated design facility will aim to bring all BYD cars into line with local tastes and expectations. In an exclusive interview with Autocar, Egger said the new facility will be "the dedicated place for design research, mainly to capture European tastes and trends and translate them into design ideas for Denza and BYD." The move has particularly significant implications for Denza, which is the first volume Chinese premium brand to launch in Europe. Its first car, the Z9 GT, is a £100k Porsche Panamera rival and it has recently been joined by the Z, an electric 911 Turbo chaser priced at more than £150k. Denza faces a fierce challenge to convince European premium buyers to switch from local marques like Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, BMW and Audi to an unfamiliar alternative. But Egger said designing Denza models in the market they are meant to disrupt will be vital to the brand's competitiveness. He said BYD is "confident" about breaking down long-standing brand loyalty ties in Europe and getting Denza a foothold, adding: "We can compete with traditional [brands] with innovation and new designs." Denza's technological prowess has been cited as a point of differentiation from legacy rivals. The Z9 GT's 'tank-turning' functionality and the tri-motor U9's trick magnetorheological suspension are among the most obvious examples. But Egger said the new Europe-centric approach means Denza can boost its competitiveness in terms of design, material appeal, personalisation and brand familiarity as well. He said Milan is the natural home of BYD's European design operation because it will allow his team to "create contacts at the most important fashion houses" with the aim of exchanging ideas on "trends and materials". Indeed, Denza's European launch took place at last year's Milan Design Week, exhibitors at which included Prada, Gucci and Fendi. Setting up in Italy was also important because the country is a "tier-one" supplier for premium and luxury materials - including leather, for example - but also new, innovative materials and recycled materials", said Egger. He pointed to the Z9's bamboo door cards as an example of how repurposed materials can be deployed in premium interiors and suggested the new studio will investigate further ideas in this vein. The Milan base will also play a significant role in bolstering Denza's credentials as an upmarket brand by providing a base for an atelier-style "customising boutique", where potential customers can "see and touch these materials and ideas", as they might when specifying an Aston Martin or Bentley. Egger headed Audi Group design - a role that included responsibility for Lamborghini - for six years, having previously been design chief at Alfa and Seat, so he is well versed in the trials of Europe's competitive premium segment. But he said the new hub provides a platform from which to promote Denza's unique attributes. "We have the best technology for the new era," he claimed. "We can compete with [traditional brands] with innovation and new designs." Denza's next European model will be the Bao 5, a Land Rover Defender rival that's already on sale as the Fangchengbao 5 in China. Future candidates for export to Europe include the large N8 and N9 SUVs, the D8 4x4 and the Z9S saloon - each of which could be in line for adaptations in Milan. From Alfa 8C to BYD Seal U DM-i Wolfgang Egger doesn't often speak to European media, so his recent visit to the UK was a rare opportunity to ask him what it was like to go from designing some of Europe's most aspirational cars - such as the Alfa Romeo 8C - to managing a 1200-strong global team designing some of the world's most affordable and popular cars, like the Seal U DM-i crossover. "The best advice I had in my life was from Walter de Silva," he said, referencing the former Alfa, Fiat and Volkswagen Group designer. De Silva told him: "Don't fall in love with your designs, because then you get too involved and you don't have any distance." Egger said: "You need to take the distance and then come back every day. Then you learn to appreciate [everything] from a city car to an off-roader to a sports car."

8/18/2026

Behind the acronyms lies a simple truth: all EV batteries work the same - but there are key differences By far the most most important part of any electric car is the battery. It’s also one of the youngest technologies because, while first conceived in the 1800s, the first commercial lithium ion batteries were made by Sony in 1991. And another thing: we hear lots of confusing names for them, but how different are they? For instance, is a lithium-iron-phosphate battery a lithium ion battery or something else? Despite the fancy names, they are all lithium ion batteries, they all work the same way and they all have the same basic components in them. Batteries are actually hundreds of battery cells, each producing a few volts and packed together in a casing to provide the energy an EV needs. Each cell contains two electrodes: a positive cathode and a negative anode. There’s a non-conductive separator between them, made of plastic or ceramic, and a thin layer of liquid electrolyte. Cells can be thin and flat like an oversize After Eight mint or rolled up to make a cylindrical or prismatic format, but they all contain those four things. The one thing that does change in a lithium ion battery is the formulation of the cathode. Nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) and lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP, with the ‘F’ standing for ‘ferrous’) are the two most common types of EV battery. Both names describe the mix of chemicals used to make the cathode; the anode is always carbon-based and usually made from graphite. The battery industry likens the mixing of chemicals to baking a cake, but the truth is that fewer ingredients are used in a lithium ion battery cell than a Bake Off show-stopper. The cathode is made by mixing the chemicals into a paste, which is spread onto aluminium foil and dried; the carbon anode is made with a graphite paste spread on copper foil. Different formulas give different battery characteristics. NMC batteries can store more energy for range and cobalt is good for power density, but the cheaper LFP battery has no expensive nickel or controversial cobalt. It’s more stable, too. They all work the same way, though. During charging, lithium ions in the cathode travel through the electrolyte and separator to the carbon anode. When the battery is in use and discharging, the ions travel back to the cathode. Should you be worried about which chemistry is used by the EV you’re about to buy? If sustainability is a criterion, batteries free of heavy metals such as nickel and cobalt have arguably better environmental credentials. But what matters day to day are the and performance figures, not how the manufacturer arrived at them.

8/18/2026

Sport division is "well aware" of engine's significance and "evaluations are still running" Audi could keep its venerable five-cylinder turbo engine alive for another generation despite forthcoming emissions regulations threatening the existence of the unique motor configuration, which has featured in the brand's portfolio for 50 years. Audi introduced its first in-line five in 1976 for its flagship 100. It has kept a five-pot in its line-up ever since, deploying the arrangement in sporting legends including the Quattro and RS2. Today it only uses the engine in the RS3 now the TT RS and RS Q3 have been retired, but it also supplies the 'EA855' 2.5-litre lump to sibling firm Cupra for the Formentor VZ5. Audi recently launched the RS3 Competition Limited as a swansong for its hardcore hot hatch, and there were suggestions it could serve as the final outing for the engine that powers it. CEO Gernot Döllner said at the time that he was unsure the firm would be "able to refinance the investment in EU7 regulations", which come into effect from November. As previously reported, the engine would need substantial modifications to its filters, emissions sensors, injection system and catalysts to remain compliant, which would be especially costly given that the engine is used by just two low-volume cars. Now, however, Audi Sport boss Rolf Michl has suggested the five-pot could remain in Audi's future range as the firm commits to maintaining a broad line-up of performance models and seeks to double down on its strong sporting heritage. "We're well aware about the historical meaning of the five-cylinder," he told Autocar. "Evaluations are still running, and people who know me know that I also have a personal relationship to the five-cylinder engine. "It's so characteristic and also deeply rooted in history - so let's see." Michl has been responsible for all three generations of the RS3 so far - all five-cylinder-powered - in his various positions within Audi's sports car division. He said the model plays an important role as the most affordable car in the RS line-up, and that could strengthen the business case for renewing both it and its engine. "The entrance into the RS world is important because having a brand statement like that is amazing," Michl said. "Emotion starts in the compact segment." No decision has yet been made on what a successor might look like, he added: "Negotiations are ongoing, so we're not at the decision point yet. Everybody really knows about the meaning, and therefore we're still evaluating with our colleagues from Audi AG." Hybridisation could be one means of reducing the five-cylinder's emissions output and keeping it compliant, as Audi has done with the RS5's V6, but doing so also comes with significant cost and weight implications. Whichever path it chooses, Audi is likely to chase higher volumes from any future five-cylinder-powered cars in a bid to recoup the necessary investment on the engine. The firm does not break out individual sales figures in its annual reports, but Audi Sport shifted 36,000 cars globally last year, and the RS3 will have accounted for only a small percentage of that. Making the powerplant more widely available across the Volkswagen Group portfolio would help to generate a higher return on investment. The RS3 and Formentor are the only cars to employ the engine currently, but they each use the MQB platform that underpins every mid-sized Volkswagen Group model. Autocar has previously reported that an extreme special edition of the Golf R could use the motor next year, potentially creating the most powerful iteration yet of the hatchback.

8/17/2026

Hyper-rare Ferraris and priceless Porsches abound as I take one last stroll around the world's classiest car park California’s annual festival of expensive supercars, collectible classic sports cars and the super-wealthy owners of both – which has become known as Monterey Car Week, culminating in the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance – just took place at Monterey’s Pebble Beach golf resort. The concours itself was won by a 1935 Duesenberg SSJ and show debuts were given to the Gordon Murray S1 supercar, the Defender Dakar, the Lamborghini Revuelto SV and the Ruf Ehra. Now, it's the day after the week before, in the car park of the Inn at Spanish Bay, a hotel right on the Pebble Beach golf course. Car Week is wrapping up. The show cars spent yesterday being wheeled off the links and loaded into trucks. But the show-goers are still around – and their cars are lending a disproportionate amount of visual interest to the hotel’s spacious car park. In a half-full parking lot, I count 11 Ferraris; five Mercedes G-Classes; four V12-powered Mercedes-Maybach S680 limousines; an obligatory Porsche 911 GT3 Touring; a few eye-catching custom creations, to which we’ll come; and no fewer than seven Lamborghini Revuelto hybrid supercars all in one place (that’s around a full day’s production at Sant’Agata).  So Ferrari was well represented in our unofficial Pebble concours. Honourable mention goes to the bright blue Ferrari F355 Challenge car from Ferrari Silicon Valley, with its bright white Speedline five-spoke wheels, but also to the 849 Testarossa, in white with a red roof stripe, which gave us Miami Vice flashbacks. There were 12Cilindris and Purosangues too, and a rather nice 488 Pista. No Pebble Beach hotel car park could be complete without some collectable old Porsches in it. Ours was a mid-1960s 356 SC convertible, in typically doted-on condition.  Among the more esoteric attractions was a black Mercedes 'W126' S-Class on whitewall tyres, which had been rechristened 900 SEL by its owner. There was also a very special-looking custom Porsche '993' 911 Speedster creation, with a cut-down windscreen, which sadly I could only gawk at under plastic wrapping. Among all of these exotics were so many hulking Lincoln Navigators, Ford Expeditions and Cadillac Escalades, of course – and a number of Lexus demonstrators, clearly still lingering after some customer event, that made us pine for the days when UK buyers could still enjoy the likes of the LC convertible and IS 350.

8/17/2026

MOT test price cap has been unchanged since 2010, but garage industry says costs make it "unsustainable" UK garages are calling for the maximum cost of a car's MOT test to be raised by almost 75%, saying huge increases in their operating costs make the current amount "unsustainable". The current maximum cost for an annual MOT test, as imposed by the Department for Transport (DfT) in 2010, is £54.85 – but the Independent Garage Association (IGA), which represents more than 4500 businesses across the country, says the cap "needs to increase significantly". It is campaigning for the price cap to be raised to £95 – an increase of 73.2%.   The industry body says "inflation alone makes the current MOT fee unsustainable" – indeed, £54.85 in 2010 equates to more than £87 today – but cites a raft of headwinds battering the garage industry, which mean "the issue now needs to be addressed urgently". Other cost pressures faced by garages include increased labour, rent, equipment, fuel, energy, compliance, administration and training costs, says the IGA. The IGA and other industry bodies will meet with the DfT on 21 October to discuss the fee. The MOT is mandatory for any vehicle more than three years old (four in Northern Ireland) and government data shows that around 66,000 testers are employed at 23,000 garages around the country to carry out the test.  Roughly 33 million cars undertook the MOT test last year, although it is not possible to ascertain a gross revenue figure for the garage sector because many businesses charge a discounted rate.  The body said it has "strong support" among its members for an increase in the fee and "a growing number" are already reducing MOT test capacity in light of the cost constraints.  If action is not taken to redress the balance, the IGA warns that motorists will experience extended wait times and reduced choice as garages scale back their MOT offering.  IGA chief executive Stuart James said: "“It is a fact that the current MOT fee has remained static for 16 years. We are being advised by garage owners that without a significant increase to the MOT fee, they cannot continue to sustain this ever-increasing cost burden.  "As the representative body for the independent garage sector, the IGA will continue to challenge the government to deliver an acceptable resolution to this issue before it causes a level of consumer detriment.” His views were supported by Nick Connor, boss of the Institute of the Motor Industry, who said upcoming changes to annual vehicle inspections will only increase the cost demands: "The MOT test is fundamental to road safety and it is critical that it remains accessible to motorists. However, with MOT garages increasingly facing greater demands, such as the EV mileage checks when the eVED comes into force in 2028, a review of MOT fees is urgently overdue."

8/17/2026

Petrol, diesel and PHEV powertrains get more power as they are updated to meet Euro 7 emissions requirements The Mercedes-Benz C-Class lives on with petrol and diesel power after gaining revised engines to meet harsher emissions standards as part of a refresh that also includes visual and tech updates. Described by Mercedes as a “mini S-Class”, it gets the three-pointed-star lights seen on the electric version of the C-Class, as well as additional lighting around its grille. However, the estate version does not gain the new brake lights. The revised look brings it into line with the electric C-Class and ends an era of bespoke styling for Mercedes’ EVs, after disappointing sales of the EQE and EQS. Notably, BMW has taken the same strategy with its next combustion-engined 3 Series and the electric i3. However, the revised C-Class remains more obviously distinct from its battery-powered counterpart. It sits lower than its EV equivalent and has a less raked roofline. Mercedes said the new styling is meant to emphasise its sporting character compared with the chunkier GLC SUV and more restrained E-Class and S-Class. Inside, the update brings a new steering wheel that reinstates a physical rocker switch and dial for the cruise and sound systems respectively. The 12.3in digital instrument panel and 11.9in infotainment touchscreen remain, but these now run on the fourth generation of Mercedes’ MBUX interface. This adds a voice-activated assistant that taps ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Microsoft Bing AI to enable it to answer more complex questions than before. Although the engine line-up remains superficially the same, each powerplant has been reworked to meet the forthcoming Euro 7 emissions standard. They gain a new electric compressor for the turbocharger that is powered by the 48V mild-hybrid system and is claimed to reduce lag. Power and torque outputs are up across the board and the range-topping C300e plug-in-hybrid is capable of driving 71 miles on electric power alone. A punchier C400e will be sold in other markets but not the UK. Pure-petrol and diesel options, as well as the oil-burning ‘de’ PHEVs, remain in the range. The C-Class’s chassis has also been tweaked, with stiffer dampers that are claimed to improve its agility without compromising its ride at motorway speeds. The new C-Class will be priced from £46,995 – £800 more than the outgoing car. Although the saloon has taken a back seat to the GLC in recent years, it remains one of Mercedes’ most important models. In the UK, it is the brand’s second-best-selling saloon, behind the cheaper CLA. More than 12 million examples of the C-Class and its predecessor, the 190, have been sold globally since 1982.

8/17/2026

Petrol, diesel and PHEV powertrains get more power as they are updated to meet Euro 7 emissions requirements The Mercedes-Benz C-Class lives on with petrol power after gaining revised engines to meet harsher emissions standards, as part of a refresh that also includes visual and tech updates. Described by Mercedes as a “mini S-Class”, it gets the three-pointed-star lights seen on the electric version of the C-Class, as well as additional lighting around its grille. However, the estate version does not gain the new brake lights. The revised look brings it into line with the electric C-Class and ends an era of bespoke styling for Mercedes’ EVs, after disappointing sales of the EQE and EQS. Notably, BMW has taken the same strategy with its next combustion-engined 3 Series and the electric i3. However, the revised C-Class remains more obviously distinct from its battery-powered counterpart. It sits lower than its EV equivalent and has a less raked roofline. Mercedes said the new styling is meant to emphasise its sporting character compared with the chunkier GLC SUV and more restrained E-Class and S-Class. Inside, the update brings a new steering wheel that reinstates a physical rocker switch and dial for the cruise and sound systems respectively. The 12.3in digital instrument panel and 11.9in infotainment touchscreen remain, but these now run on the fourth generation of Mercedes’ MBUX interface. This adds a voice-activated assistant that taps ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Microsoft Bing AI to enable it to answer more complex questions than before. Although the engine line-up remains superficially the same, each powerplant has been reworked to meet the forthcoming Euro 7 emissions standard. They gain a new electric compressor for the turbocharger that is powered by the 48V mild-hybrid system and is claimed to reduce lag. Power and torque outputs are up across the board and the range-topping C300e plug-in-hybrid is capable of driving 71 miles on electric power alone. A punchier C400e will be sold in other markets but not the UK. Diesel options have, however, been dropped from the UK line-up. Autocar has contacted Mercedes-Benz UK for comment, but it reflects the waning popularity of the black pump in the UK. Volkswagen recently dropped the diesel Golf, in a landmark move that signals its transition to hybrid power. The C-Class’s chassis has also been tweaked, with stiffer dampers that are claimed to improve its agility without compromising its ride at motorway speeds. The new C-Class will be priced from £46,995 – £800 more than the outgoing car. Although the saloon has taken a back seat to the GLC in recent years, it remains one of Mercedes’ most important models. In the UK, it is the brand’s second-best-selling saloon, behind the cheaper CLA. More than 12 million examples of the C-Class and its predecessor, the 190, have been sold globally since 1982.

8/17/2026

The Mk2 CX-5 is a slick, premium alternative to German SUVs – and yours from just £6000 Mazda has sold more than five million CX-5s since its plush family crossover was launched in 2012 - and more than 100,000 of those went to UK buyers, the vast majority being the second-gen car that came here in 2017. This right-sized SUV has in fact accounted for 25% of Mazda sales. It's a car that does almost everything well, being comfortable, pleasant to drive, luxurious and economical-and now it has value on its side, with used examples starting at £6000. And what if we told you it might even be a better all-rounder than the third-gen CX-5, which has just arrived? The Mk2 CX-5 is really a heavy facelift of the Mk1, but it came with some useful improvements that make it well worth the extra cost. Its MX-5-influenced 'Kodo' design still looks sporty and modern, with sharp creases that are especially eye-catching in Soul Red; a 2023 facelift added distinctive LED headlights and fashionable flat paint finishes. Inside, the CX-5 is the measure of contemporary German rivals. The material quality, from seat trim to switchgear, is to be appreciated, while the ergonomics and driving position are spot on. The standard 7.0in infotainment set-up from earlier cars looks a little dated now, but the 10.25in version fitted from 2019 is more comparable to those found in a new equivalent - with the advantage that it can be operated via a satisfyingly clicky rotary dial, like in an old BMW. In terms of practicality, a long wheelbase makes the CX-5 as roomy as a Ford Kuga and Volkswagen Tiguan, and it's got a relatively high ceiling so even tall adults will be fine in the back. Plus there's a two-step reclining mechanism that allows the seatbacks to be canted, trading some boot space for extra rear-seat comfort. With 506 litres of boot capacity up to the beltline, a usefully flat floor and individually folding rear seats, you can take bulky loads without ditching the back seats entirely. With everyone and the kitchen sink on board, the CX-5 continues to impress. It's an enjoyable thing to thread down a B-road, thanks to direct, chatty steering and a capable chassis with good body control in corners, plus a fantastic manual gearchange should you wish. It is also surprisingly cosseting on the motorway, with well-suppressed wind noise and suspension that settles down to minimise fidgeting and vibrations. Only the slightly lumpy low-speed ride is a disappointment. Petrols outnumber diesels on the used market, but an oil-burner is probably the one you want for family-hauling duties. While smooth, both the 163bhp 2.0-litre and 191bhp 2.5-litre petrols are thirstier than hybridised rivals: expect 40mpg from the front-wheel-drive 2.0-litre and 35mpg from the four-wheel-drive 2.5. Out of town, the naturally aspirated petrols can also feel a bit gutless in a family-size SUV, so the 2.2-litre diesel is far nicer to drive. The 148bhp front-wheel-drive version is torquey and good for 55mpg on a longer run, while the 181bhp four-wheel-drive version will give more like 50mpg. Crossovers of this ilk are so often bought with the head, but the CX-5 is one of those rare examples that appeals to the heart, too. It's not quite an MX-5 on stilts, but it is impressive for blending hatchback-like driving dynamics with stylish looks, a cosseting interior, decent running costs and useful practicality credentials. What we said then 28 June 2017:  "This CX-5 is great to look at, better to sit in, good to drive, cost-effective to run and brilliantly sized. It comfortably eclipses the bulk of a running order that previously outranked it, and in doing so it provides buyers with arguably the most compelling mainstream alternative to the segment's current benchmark." An owner's view Sergei Pokrovskii: "I had heard about the problems with the 2.2-litre diesel engine in the first-generation CX-5, so I stretched my budget to an early second-generation Sport Nav. I'm pleased I did because the interior is far nicer - the white leather trim in my car looks and feels particularly upmarket. I haven't had any problems 50,000 miles in, and I'm consistently getting more than 50mpg." Buyer beware Engine: Historically troublesome 2.2-litre diesel engine was mostly sorted out by the time it found its way into the Mk2 CX-5, but it still has a tendency to suffer costly diesel particulate filter problems if driven exclusively in town or on very short journeys. Vehicle Excise Duty: Most CX-5s will be £200 per year to tax, but the flagship Takumi diesels and 2.5-litre petrols will be £620 until they hit five years old, when it will reduce to £200 annually. Infotainment: It's a very intuitive system to use, but the rotary dial might take some getting used to. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were added in 2019.  Gearbox: Both manual and automatic transmissions are mechanically reliable, but the latter can be sluggish and will knock off as much as 5mpg. It was standard on the 2.5-litre petrol but optional on other models. Electrics: Mostly holding up well, but watch out for phantom bugs such as the electric door mirrors not working or continually folding in and out. Mirrors have also been known to work themselves loose. Air conditioning: Check the air-con blows cold - sensors, stuck buttons and dodgy coils can stop the system working properly. Also worth knowing In 2018 the high-powered diesel went from 173bhp to 181bhp, then in 2023 the petrols were boosted with mild-hybrid assistance without a noticeable change in fuel consumption. Trims ranged from SE-L to GT Sport Nav, with SE-L Nav, Sport and Sport Nav in between. All had lots of kit, but Sport and above give a real premium feel. In 2023 the range was restructured to Centre-Line, Newground, Exclusive-Line, Homura and Takumi - Homura being the sporty-looking one while Takumi is more blinged-up. Reasonable insurance groupings (14-27) should help to keep running costs down. How much to spend £6000-£9999: Higher-mileage (80k-plus) early cars, mostly low-spec diesels. £10,000-£14,999: Later, higher-spec models with a choice of powertrains, including the rare 2.5-litre petrol. £15,000-£19,999: 2023 facelifts with a more modern exterior and better-insulated interior. £20,000-£39,999: Late, low-mileage CX-5s, with the last cars still unregistered on dealer lots. One we found Mazda CX-5 2.2 Centre-Line, 2023, 57,000 miles, £15,990: You don't get leather seats or big wheels with base-level Centre-Line trim, but it's significantly cheaper on the used market. This one has a full Mazda service history and six months left on the manufacturer's warranty.

8/17/2026

Small EV offers up to 309 miles of range and features 441 litres of boot space Hyundai's new electric supermini, the Ioniq 3, will be priced from £22,245 when it arrives in the UK in the coming weeks. It has been positioned to rival an array of electric hatches, from the small Renault 5 to the larger Volkswagen ID 3 – and at 4.15m long and 1.51m tall, it sits right between them in size. Its unusual shape is described by Hyundai as an ‘aero-hatch’, a sleek new form conceived with the goal of maximising aerodynamic efficiency.  This approach has resulted in a raked roofline, similar to that employed by the old Hyundai Veloster, ending with a prominent duck-tail rear spoiler. The rear lip is moulded into the leading edge of the boot, but range-topping N Line cars get an extension for a sportier look. The front end, meanwhile, has been sculpted to have the smallest frontal area possible.  Its efforts have yielded a drag coefficient of 0.26, which is better than the smaller but chunkier Renault 5 (0.29). As a result, the Ioniq 3 is said to be capable of driving 208 miles between charges when fitted with the standard 42.2kWh battery. The long-range version, whose 61kWh pack enables a range of 309 miles, will start at £25,745 – or £24,245, should it qualify for a £1500 discount from the UK government's Electric Car Grant. Lead exterior designer Manuel Schöttle said Hyundai began with the most efficient shape in aerodynamic terms for the Ioniq 3, but added it was “important to make sure it didn’t look like a soap bar”.  He said it was Hyundai’s first electric car designed in Europe, and it has been shaped according to Hyundai’s new 'Art of Steel' design language.  Yet the radical silhouette also brought several compromises inside the Ioniq 3. For example, the roofline’s rake ate into the boot space, and the small front end combined with the model’s front-wheel-drive configuration meant there was no space for a frunk. The workaround was to create a large cargo space below the floor, similar to the ‘Gigabox’ in the Ford Puma Gen-E increasing load space from 322 to 441 litres. The raked design also ate into rear cabin space, so Hyundai carved into the car’s headlining to free up a few millimetres more head room. The Ioniq 3’s cabin was designed to free the driver of as much distraction as possible. Lead interior designer Victor Andrean said the “hands on the wheel, eyes on the road” philosophy brought a rethink of the dashboard’s layout.  That resulted in a thin new digital instrument panel that is set notably higher than in existing Hyundais; it is paired with a smaller steering wheel, resulting in a similar set-up to Peugeot’s i-Cockpit.  “We place it above the steering wheel, not inside the steering wheel, as in a conventional car,” said Andrean. “That is a huge statement on lifting your eyes and your head up; you are looking a couple degrees higher [when looking at the panel]. This is way closer to the road.”  The Ioniq 3’s 12.9in infotainment screen is also the first to use Hyundai’s new, Android Auto-based Pleos operating system. This will allow new functionality, such as installing apps natively in the car rather than using smartphone mirroring – although that is still included. Positioned below the screen is an array of physical climate control and media switches.  “The tactile feel of buttons is very important, and I think [the European] market really needs that,” said Andrean.  Standard Range cars will use a 145bhp motor, for a 0-62mph time of 9.0sec, while Long Range cars get a more efficient 132bhp variant. The former's charging rate peaks at 119kW while the latter can accept 110kW, giving 10-80% refill times of 29 minutes and 30 minutes, respectively.  It is not yet known whether a hot N version will join the line-up as a rival for the Alpine A290 and Volkswagen ID Polo GTI, although Schöttle said he “always sees potential for something more sporty”. How Hyundai has reinvented the cupholder Wary of customers carrying ever-larger flasks, Hyundai has come up with a novel cupholder design that allows for particularly tall receptacles to be stowed in the centre console.  The modular cupholders continue through the lower shelf of the centre console, allowing their size to be changed depending on how large a drink the driver or passenger wishes to carry.  “We had this question from the very start,” said lead interior designer Victor Andrean. “Where do you put your huge Thermos? These days, everyone is walking around with 1.5-litre-plus bottles – I’m one of them.”

8/17/2026

Efficiency is becoming increasingly important as the EV conversation moves away from just range – but who's best? It’s almost two years ago now that we gave the century-old Autocar road test its last major facelift. Our 2024 re-jig was significant for changes in many parts, but none more significant than to the road test itself, which we adjusted so it had more to say about electric cars and PHEVs, more scrutiny in the way it tested them and more flexibility to address the relevant facets of any given new car. One of the tests we added was an extra efficiency test schedule intended to give EVs and hybrids a fairer way to demonstrate one of their key strengths. We call it the ‘everyday’ economy test. Two years into its life, I thought now might be an interesting time to review which cars have excelled at it – and which have disappointed. Before we added the ‘everyday’ bit, electrified cars had only the same efficiency tests that we habitually put all of our test subjects through as a way to show their potential. Those included a ‘track’ efficiency test schedule, showing the economy of a test car while actually being performance tested; a ‘touring’ test schedule done on the proving ground’s high-speed bowl for the sake of repeatability but designed to reproduce the economy returned on a 70mph motorway cruise; and an overall test average – what the test car returned over the entirety of its test loan with us, irrespective of type of usage. None of these really gave electric cars or hybrids a fair chance, because the efficiency of EVs rises above others when they’re running at lower speeds (because they lose much less energy to waste heat than combustion-engined cars do) and when they have a chance to regenerate energy when slowing down. The ‘everyday’ economy test, therefore, is made up of four concurrent laps of Horiba MIRA’s ‘Number Two’ circuit (in effect a 2.2-mile, two- or three-lane, equilateral triangle). These are taken at 10mph increments from 20-50mph, with two full stops per lap made for the test car to regenerate and redeploy energy. As with all of the road test’s economy schedules, we depend on the car’s trip computer for the data we record. The trip is reset before every test, and the cars cover hundreds more miles away from the test track in the hands of our testers. That extraneous use gives us plenty of time to keep tabs on whether those trip computers are accounting accurately. We’ve tested 55 new electric cars since that reinvented road test issue. Only one of them failed to post a better result in that ‘everyday’ test than it managed in the 70mph-typical, longer-distance ‘touring’ test, and given that was the 2013bhp Lotus Evija, we can consider it the exceptional outlier that proves the validity of the test. To the cream of the crop, then. Nine of those cars posted a result of 5.0mpkWh or better. Some were the small, light kind of EVs you would expect to be capable of running efficiently – but one or two, not so much. The Renault 5 and Hyundai Inster both just nudged over that particular 5.0mpkWh line, for example, but the Honda Super-N and BYD Dolphin Surf both eased over it with room to spare, at 5.6mpkWh each. Earning all the more credit allowing for the bit of extra bulk they carried, take a bow the Renault 4 E-Tech (5.6mpkWh), the MG 4 EV Urban (5.5), and the only car yet to breach six miles per kilowatt-hour: the Ford Puma Gen-E (6.2). Which leaves two genuinely outlying cars that show that efficiency can come in unexpected places where electric vehicles are concerned. One is the Volvo ES90 Extended Range Single Motor, which posted 5.0mpkWh exactly despite weighing more than 2.3 tonnes; the other is the Cupra Born VZ, which cruised its way to 5.1mpkWh despite having 20in wheels, 402lb ft and a pretty overt performance brief. Among the cars you might have expected efficiency from but which didn’t really deliver it were the Volvo EX30 Single Motor Extended Range at 3.6mpkWh, the Citroën ë-C3 (4.0) and the Mini Aceman SE (4.3). Big, fast, heavy electric cars are, of course, always unlikely to use power parsimoniously, but even some of the smaller, simpler ones can surprise you with how quickly they burn through their battery life. You can always depend on the Autocar road test to name names when they do.

8/17/2026

Mini has started work on the next-generation Cooper, which is due in the coming years bearing the most significant transformation since BMW took charge of the marque three decades ago: a shift from front- to rear-wheel drive. Bosses promise, however, that the new car will remain rigidly true to the brand's roots. The current hatchback arrived in 2024 with the choice of both petrol and electric power - the latter then one of the few small EVs on sale. Its only true rival was the Fiat 500e, but it was also priced to compete with larger alternatives such as the Peugeot e-208 and Cupra Born. A whole swathe of electric superminis have arrived since, however, with many - such as the Renault 5 and Fiat Grande Panda - offering comparable style, dynamics and kit plus more range for similar money. Mini has responded with price cuts, and a facelift is due in the next couple of years to freshen up the Cooper - but the pressure is piling on as a wave of new entrants muscle in on the small EV segment, with models including the Volkswagen ID Polo, Cupra Raval and Kia EV2. Combined with the might of Chinese newcomers such as BYD and Geely, that competition has forced the most radical rethink of Mini's trademark model in generations. "We have started to work on the next generation of Mini, and what follows now is a look at the entire portfolio," new design chief Holger Hampf confirmed to Autocar, explaining that he will use a wave of facelifts and new derivatives in the meantime to set the tone for the British brand's future. Technical reinvention Every iteration of the Mini to date has been front-driven, with agility and smart interior packaging key to the car's identity over the past seven decades, but now that's set to change. The current Cooper Electric is built by Mini joint-venture partner Great Wall Motor in China, on a bespoke front-driven platform that it shares with the Aceman crossover. For the next generation, the hatchback is being lined up for a move onto parent company BMW's new, natively rear-driven Gen6 platform, which underpins the firm's new Neue Klasse electric cars - beginning with the iX3 SUV and i3 saloon. The Gen6 doesn't currently accommodate front-driven cars. The rear motors used in the iX3 and the forthcoming i3 saloon have gearboxes, but the smaller drive units mounted on the front axles of those cars' four-wheel-drive variants don't. BMW Group engineers told Autocar at the launch of the Gen6 that the firm had no plans to develop a viable front drive unit and that could force the Mini to make the landmark shift. As previously reported by Autocar, the BMW 1 Series hatchback - which currently shares the petrol Mini's UKL platform - is set to return to rear-wheel drive as it gains an electric option on the new platform, and BMW's development boss Joachim Post has previously told Autocar the Mini could follow suit. "We will see what the future is," he said, when asked about scope for a rear-drive next-generation Cooper. He suggested the company would choose "the optimum for the package" and said "sheer driving pleasure" is the priority for future models. The decision would also have significant ramifications for the petrol Cooper, which is expected to carry on through the 2030s - possibly with the addition of hybrid powertrains, still driving the front wheels. Although they share a fundamental design, the current petrol Cooper is an overhauled version of the previous-generation car, while the electric Cooper is based on the Chinese JV platform; opting for the new BMW architecture could bring a bigger gulf between the look of the two models. Familiar look Regardless of any technical revolution, Hampf is resolute in his commitment to maintaining the brand's signature look. "You can ask a Brit or a German or an Italian, you can ask a five-year-old, and they will recognise a Mini based on the proportions of the car," he told Autocar. "Especially when it comes to the three-door hatch, it's a very short car with wheels at its corners, short overhangs, with some signature elements such as the facial impression. This is the most important to me: the combination of round headlights and grille." Referring to future versions of the flagship hatch, he added: "Every five-year-old will know this is a Mini. It's my job to treat it with respect." Hampf said his "number-one" priority is maintaining the Mini's proportions and "this is non-negotiable". Mini's long-running commitment to retro design will also become a virtuous circle with the next generation of the hatchback. Hampf suggested this will take inspiration from the 'R50', the first of the BMW Minis. He said: "Many people out there don't actually have a recollection of the classic Mini but they do have a recollection of one of the Minis we have done in BMW's ownership in the past 25 years. I will make sure to connect to this past. "And this isn't to say that we will become vintage, not at all. It's an interpretation in the modern way of what we've done: a clever use of space or some smile-creating surprises in the car. Certainly some Britishness." Hampf also hinted at a desire to shrink the Cooper. Asked about 2011's Rocketman concept, a three-door just 3.4m long, he said: "The size discussion about Mini growing smaller, bigger and so on, we have that every day." He added that the existence of the larger Countryman SUV covers the brand's bases "where a Cooper falls short in some use cases". However, the Cooper must still be able to accommodate the safety structures and driver-assistance technologies required of today's cars and can't entirely compromise practicality for design flair. "Maybe this is my personal belief, but a Mini was always good for going out to the market in the morning, driving your kids to school and going to the opera in the evening," Hampf said. "I'm not saying going smaller isn't a possibility, but it has to fit into today's lifestyle as well." He suggested that Mini's commitment to compactness means the three-door body option - one of only a few such superminis left on sale in Europe - will continue into another generation. The smaller car is "the product we always care about as much as possible", he said, adding that "it will always be our anchor".

8/16/2026

How to Europa correctly? There's one man who knows them better than anyone else Is John Rand the world’s most dedicated Lotus Europa owner? He’s owned 14 of them and loved each one. “My parents wouldn’t buy one for me so I bought my own, my first one, for my 21st birthday in 1975,” he says. “Mum and Dad were right to refuse me because I smashed it up the next day. I put it into a telegraph pole then had to learn how to work with fibreglass to repair it because I couldn't afford to have someone else do it. “Unfortunately, I kept clouting things with it. Subsequently, I decided why not buy a Lotus Europa that’s already broken and repair it, rather than buy a good one only to smash it up? So I started doing them up and wheeling and dealing in them. I raced one for a long time and, amazingly, never crashed it.” John has two Europas: the one you see here, a 1969 S2 with the later Renault 1600 crossflow engine that he bought 10 years ago, and a lightweight Lotus Type 47 powered by an engine producing 250hp. “That one’s very quick,” he says. “Still, weighing just 700kg, the S2 is no slouch, either. It was restored in 1979 by a guy who used to build GT40 chassis at Brooklands. He knew what he was doing and did a beautiful job, including uprating the engine. The standard engine was a 1470cc Renault unit but the one he fitted is much better. It's never missed a beat.” For a 57-year-old car, the interior, which is original, is in excellent condition and has refinements including electric windows, wall-to-wall carpet and a polished wooden fascia. In fact, it’s difficult to imagine it looked any better when new. The Europa is extremely low. In fact, it’s just 42.5in tall, or not much taller than those GT40s whose chassis the car's previous owner used to fabricate. “It's a little bit claustrophobic inside. You don't want to be taller than 5ft 10in,” says John. “It’s warm and cosy on a winter's day but a bit hot in the summer. At least Lotus got the ride right. It's compliant and you don't get smashed about.” John says people either love or hate the shape, their attention usually drawn to the buttresses that flank the mid-mounted engine. To aid access to the Renault motor, there’s a large removable, lightweight boot box, which John easily lifts out. The glassfibre body is mounted on spars extending from a steel backbone chassis. He says: “It’s a very nimble car but you must make sure the rear transmission is in good order, because if it gets loose, it can really make the car slide around.” Somehow, I don't think John would ever let things get to that point. Since buying it, he's done only a few thousand miles. “It just comes out for a tootle at weekends,” he says. “It’s worth between £20,000 and £25,000. I wouldn’t take less than £20,000 and I wouldn't expect to get more than £25,000.” He's talking theoretically, of course, since he has no plans to sell.

8/16/2026

Horse D20 uses clever motor tech and an extremely efficient methanol-burning engine to slash emissions Alternative powertrain progress may have swung inexorably in favour of BEVs, but there's a big wide world out there where liquid fuels are still in demand. This month, Toyota, BMW and Repsol began a pilot scheme in Spain to demonstrate how existing vehicles can run exclusively on Repsol's fully renewable petrol, Nexa 95. Bosch is also a collaborator in the project, contributing its 'digital fuel tracking solution'. Liquid fuel is big in China, but rather than petrol or diesel we're talking about methanol, of which China accounts for around 60% of the world's production. The bad news is that, so far, most Chinese methanol has been made from coal, but the country is investing in e-methanol production. It began supporting the use of M100 (100% methanol) fuel in cars in 2019 and is now the world's largest market for methanol-fuelled vehicles. It's not surprising, then, that Horse Powertrain's latest creation is the D20 Methanol, a range-extender EV powertrain featuring an M100-burning 2.0-litre turbo engine and an axial-flux motor-generator. Axial-flux motors are the biscuit-tin type in the sense they are larger in diameter but very short. This one is almost half the length of an equivalent radial-flux motor (of the conventional cylindrical shape), with 63% greater energy density by volume, so it can produce 63% more power in kW per unit of volume it occupies. The motor is also yokeless, which means the stator doesn't use a large, heavy iron disc (a yoke) on which to mount electrical coils. Lightweight materials and design features do the job instead. Electrical efficiency is rated at 96.4%, thanks in part to features such as an embedded silicon-carbide power module to minimise electrical losses. The D20 is claimed to achieve a 47% energy conversion ratio of the fuel, which is extremely efficient. A high-energy ignition system contributes to that by enabling ultra-lean burning of the M100. Cold starts can be tricky, one of the intrinsic drawbacks of methanol fuel, but the new ignition system also means the engine can be fired up in temperatures as low as -35deg C. NOx emissions comply with China's CN6b standard of 35mg/kWh and the EU's Euro 7 limit of 60mg/km. In 1999, DaimlerChrysler launched the Mercedes A-Class-based Necar 4 hydrogen fuel cell EV, which ran on hydrogen reformed on board from methanol. The company reasoned that existing filling stations could easily be converted to methanol rather than petrol and diesel by installing liners in underground tanks and swapping out pumps. In 2005, Nobel Prize-winning chemist George Olah wrote an essay promoting an economy based on methanol derived from hydrogen or CO2, both of which can be produced sustainably. Perhaps that may never happen, but it seems that methanol still has a major role to play in making vehicular transport more sustainable.

8/16/2026

BMW has taken control of Alpina, so what's next for the family that established the name? Andreas Bovensiepen sweeps into a deserted canteen at the Salzburgring, six minutes late for our interview. I'd planned to hit him with some pithy enquiry as to the emotional toll of flogging the company his father Burkard founded, but he triggers a vibe-shift. He reports, with some relish, that the Bovensiepen Zagato he's just leapt out of nailed 265kph on the back straight. This makes it as quick as the slick-shod B6 GT3 they used to hammer here at Alpina events, he continues almost to himself, smiling as he pulls out a chair. Disarming enthusiasm for the product: it affirms the notion that 63-year-old Andreas and his brother Florian were never going to take the money and slip off to yachts in the Med. The details won't be made public, but one assumes selling Alpina to BMW, in a deal that came to fruition last year, made both men rich. Certainly it was enough to fully capitalise the new venture. That venture is Bovensiepen Automobile, and it has an uncannily familiar feel. Home will remain the storied Buchloe site that until recently was Alpina HQ, with its workshops, saddlery, warehousing for nearly a million bottles of wine and a chalet whose swimming pool is heated by test-bench waste gas. Burkard always was a stickler for efficiency, hence the preoccupation with supersonic diesel saloons. The firm will still provide engineering services to BMW, just as Alpina did. And it will continue to make fast, lavish, BMW-based cars, starting with the Zagato (an M4 under the carbon). The branding is new, the engineering has adapted, revenue streams will diverge and headcount will drop. But the Bovensiepens are sticking with the programme. So why sell dear old Alpina at all? "It's only once in a lifetime you get an offer from a company like BMW," says Bovensiepen. Sharpening that offer was his belief that the traditional Alpina philosophy and purely electric propulsion are wholly incompatible. It meant that, in 2020, when then BMW CEO Oliver Zipse first approached the family and everyone from Lamborghini to Bentley was pursuing an electric goal, Alpina's future was uncertain even in terms of the basic product. Square peg, round hole. Zipse, meanwhile, needed a brand with some star power; one that could "exploit the field" between BMW and Rolls-Royce. The deal took 18 months and was shaped by market sentiments. "At the start, BMW's board were considering buying the whole company," said Bovensiepen. "But the M&A people were of the opinion that, with everything going electric, it didn't make sense to have the Buchloe facility with its five dynos. So they came to the conclusion to only buy the market rights, which is the Alpina brand name, the history and the wheels, Deko Set, colours - this kind of thing." Would BMW today have elected to pick up the whole show, at a time when luxo-EV demand is stalling and regulatory deadlines are creaking? We'll never know, but the mood is different and those five dynos don't seem so redundant now. "There's still higher demand for diesels than manufacturers anticipated," says Bovensiepen, to illustrate the point. "BMW's home of diesel is in Austria, in Steyr, where they've trained a lot of engineers in an electric direction and don't want to train them back. So they've turned to us." This sort of white-label work is one pillar of the Bovensiepen Automobile business, which will have 25 engineers fine-tuning powertrains, suspension and chassis electronics for BMW. Another pillar is Alpina Classic, the brand rights for which have not been relinquished. It will restore and supply parts for all Alpinas of the pre-BMW era. Buchloe will also return to being a service centre, with an emphasis on specialist cars such as the Z8 and V10-engined M5, though there will be nothing to stop locals from bringing along a 2 Series Active Tourer for oil and filters. As well they might, Alpina having engineered the suspension for BMW's little MPV back in the day. Then there is the wine, for which the ornate brass 'A' handles of the warehouse will survive (more than can be said for the charming green and blue workshop tiles). And finally there are the new and very powerful Bovensiepen cars. The Zagato is the "lighthouse" model, but the meat of the output will be cars like the 05 GT, pictured below. This takes a 5 Series and adds power and comfort, albeit with a lighter touch than was the case with Alpinas. There is also the upholstery, of a calibre beyond the usual BMW fare. But the real story is that the donor is not an M550, as an Alpina B5 would have used, but a proper M5. "With Alpina we were able, with the works integration [on the production line], to change a lot to our liking," says Bovensiepen. "Now we need to take the best car in the portfolio. I won't say every car will be an M base - for some niches a mainline BMW [is more suitable] - but we're more in the M direction because of the power." Buchloe has capacity for 100 conversions annually across the board. It means the cars will be rarer than Alpinas were, and they will also command higher prices. When the last of the B5s was launched in 2018, it cost roughly £21,500 more than the BMW it was based on. Today an 05 GT will set you back £44,000 more than an M5. But Bovensiepen believes that, even at this level, there is enough demand for an M5 with more subtlety and sophistication. And power, of course. He clearly enjoys the fact the 05 GT shades the donor car in this respect. This is unsurprising from a man who, if pushed, will tell you his proudest achievement as Alpina boss was shoehorning a 4.6-litre V8 into the tiny E36 shell. The £320,000 ask for the Zagato has also raised eyebrows, but this is just a case of reality biting. "You wouldn't believe it, but it is at least as hard to earn money on a Zagato [as it is something like an Alpina B5, because it's more than 400 new parts and up to 400 hours assembly," he says. "Then there is the development cost, which has to be split over 99 units. The business case is tight." It was ever thus with cars. But it's nice to know one of the more likeable operations in modern times will live on, if not in name then in soul.

8/15/2026

Must you drive like a saint to get heavenly economy? This range-extender says not There I was, cruising along the inside lane of the M4 at my usual circa-65mph, congratulating myself on the energy I was saving, when another Leapmotor C10, metallic green just like mine, steamed past in the overtaking lane, briskly dispatching all the quicker traffic as it went. It made me wonder what I was doing. I have been driving electric cars and plug-in hybrids most of the time for the past four years or so and have become used to easing along motorways in the inside lanes, telling myself (usually accurately) that there's only a minute or two's difference in journey time on my average 100-mile drives between cruising easily and clogging it. I have no way of knowing whether this much faster C10 was a purely battery-driven version or another range-extender like mine (the latter's exhaust pipe is hard to spot), but it looked pleasantly purposeful forging along, rather than somewhat apologetic like the crawling versions I've seen, so I decided to try driving a fair bit more quickly over distance to see whether I would enjoy it and what damage this would do to the economy. So I set off at a decent lick, using the smooth and easy torque without my usual qualms and taking no significant account of the down slopes that I've instinctively learned to turn into charging opportunities. It felt a bit irresponsible but rather bold, and the car felt eager as you'd expect of a machine that puts 236lb ft of torque under your right foot without even having to idle to do it. A fast cruise was smooth and easy to maintain (that torque keeps you speeding easily up long slopes) and there was very little vibration. As it happens, the C10 generates very little wind noise, even if road noise is inclined to make up for it on the older, noisier bitumen surfaces that seem to abound in the UK. Going even quicker, the C10 felt well planted and directionally stable through its wheel, probably because, even though it's a big car in which you sit higher than in a saloon, the overhangs are short, the wheelbase is long and the centre of gravity is low. Steering corrections are small and hardly necessary. I kept this up for about 80 miles, eyeballing the trip computer on the straight-ahead driver's screen. I'm used to seeing about 4.2mpkWh and 48-52mpg as the powertrain swaps between petrol and electric; on this mainly flat motorway the battery contributed very little and the petrol engine returned about 10mpg less, still promising around 400 miles from a tankful before the battery (maintaining a potential contribution of 60 miles) chimed in. Of course, I knew that as soon as I reached a town or a B-road the MPG would climb again to erase any impression that quicker cruising is costly; in this 'Hybrid EV' it isn't. Many drivers are impervious to consistently good economy, possibly because many fuel bills are paid by employers. But I find it consistently pleases me, which makes driving the C10 a particular pleasure. It never seems to get truly thirsty. In fact, the bong warning for low fuel or low charge takes me by surprise, just as refuelling always seems pretty cheap. Chuck in the long range (the promise of 605 petrol-electric miles seems truthful) and you have a seriously economical all-rounder - however you choose to drive it.

8/15/2026

Barn find rescues are big business on Youtube - is it time to have a go at your own classic resurrection? The YouTube pros make it look so easy. One of my favourite channels is Vice Grip Garage, wherein charming Minnesotan mechanic Derek Bieri ventures into the undergrowth to extract long-forgotten classic cars, remove the rat nests, replace the requisite fuel lines and tyre stems and nurse them several hundred miles back to his ranch - often several decades since they last turned a wheel in anger. Customarily, he can take a rusted-out, moss-covered hunk of junk from abandoned to animated in the space of a day, using the most basic of tools. If only it were so easy. As the most casual of mechanics, and with a budget sadly uninflated by generous big-name sponsors, I find such ambitious rescues to be rather more challenging - but no less romantic. The prospect of discovering a neglected classic - in a lock-up or sinking into the weeds at the back of a farmyard - and coaxing it back to a state of something approaching utility is a heart-warming ideal that is surely the dream of any car lover. When I was a kid, my local garage had a ratty Volkswagen T25 Transporter that sat for years by the bins around the back and slowly sank into a state of heart-rending destitution. My best mate and I sauntered down and dangled a few fivers under their nose for the privilege of winching it out and towing it back down the road to his place. We had grand, internet-fuelled ambitions of bashing its forlorn bodywork back into shape, reupholstering its knackered bench seats, replacing the rotten chipboard floor and zhuzhing up the wheezy boxer engine in the space of about a week. But such is the way with these things, it would be about six months before the cleverly named 'Blistery Machine' would make its grand debut in the sixth-form car park. What the videos never show you is the three-week wait for replacement wheel arch panels, the bitter disputes about which spark plugs to use, or the long period of inactivity that comes with a rainy winter. But eventually, there it was: back from the dead and purring like a kitten (or sounding like a shabby old Impreza). We had outrageous fun trundling around Kent in that thing for a year or so, doing 12mpg and choking on exhaust fumes. About five years after it moved on, I spotted it parked at the side of a road in London, looking about as good as we'd left it. It's a glorious feeling to know you've given an otherwise condemned classic another stab at life - to say less of the obvious environmental benefits of recycling an old banger, rather than scrapping it in favour of a new alternative. I'd later do it again with a tired Peugeot 405 whose previous owner had passed away some years prior and which would otherwise have been turned into coat hangers. It gave me a year of supremely comfortable, 50mpg commuting and even a trip to the south of France before it finally gave in and gave up its usable components to sustain other healthier 405s. My first car - a classic Beetle - was another such 'barn find', having lingered untouched in a Warwickshire shed for 15 years before being lightly recommissioned and pressed into service as a daily driver once again at the ripe old age of 40. Pleasingly, it popped up on eBay recently with its mileage heavily augmented since we parted ways. Its original raison d'être was to provide dependable, no-frills daily transport, so why should it have ended its days as a grime-covered garage ornament? Cars are not designed to live forever, of course, but that doesn't mean they have to die before their time. That ropey old Rover 25 you spotted on a driveway down the road? Go and knock on the door with a few notes in your hand - you could be its last chance at resurrection.

8/15/2026

Conflicting comms and corporate jargon can miss the point and confuse the people who really care I didn't realise the National Motor Museum and the Beaulieu Estate were anything other than the same thing, and that was fine. In fact, I imagine that was part of the idea when the estate-owning Montagu family established a museum trust in 1972 to be responsible for the car collection housed there. This week we've learned they're not one and the same. Beaulieu doesn't own the National Motor Museum – at least not everything in it. Does that matter? To us it doesn't, but clearly it does to them. They each got their own thoughts, those aren't the same and hence now it matters to us too. As our story (below) shows, clearly they weren't getting on very well during negotiations about what to do when the trust's lease ends in 2030. Beaulieu exclusive: Funding feud behind National Motor Museum exit It was the trust that broke that news, by releasing a statement saying it was looking for a new home. It was sufficiently vague on the Beaulieu front, though, deliberately or otherwise, that a 'clarification' statement from the estate followed, to say that it still owns plenty of the collection itself and that whatever happens to the vehicles and objects the trust removes, motoring events and displays will stay in the New Forest as part of the estate's remit. What a pickle. Ultimately, though, also what a shame that a lack of clear communications has led to people thinking that Beaulieu will cease to be as a motoring destination or that the museum is going to close. It smacks of parties looking rather too inwardly, without really realising that beyond their daily world people aren't aware of – and usually don't care about – what's going on at their detailed level. The trust, for example, led with this: "This marks the next stage in the Trust's long-term strategy to secure the future of the National Motor Museum. This strategy is focused on reimagining and reinvigorating the Museum, engaging with new generations of motoring enthusiasts and diverse communities, while developing and preserving the Designated collection for generations to come." What does that mean, exactly? Any idea? Why won't organisations speak more clearly? I understand that this might seem like a trivial complaint when the future of more than 250 important cars – and, more concerningly, 1.9 million archive items that aren't exactly profitable to have to look after – need to find a new home. But it isn't trivial when you see the number of below-the-line comments and reactions from people who now think there will be no cars at Beaulieu or that the whole collection is going to go under. And those are the people interested enough to notice. Beyond those are the people who will look no further than the headlines but who, when thinking about having a day out in a year or more's time, might vaguely remember something about that car museum not being there any more and just decide to go somewhere else. It's tiresome to have to decipher vague-speak, yet so many organisations use it. Last week my gas supplier wrote to tell me that "over recent months, we've used a Market Volatility Surcharge to help manage uncertainty in global energy markets. While markets remain unpredictable, gas costs are beginning to stabilise, although at a higher level than previously. We're therefore simplifying your pricing by resetting your base cylinder prices and reducing the Market Volatility Surcharge to £0.00." I had no idea what that meant. The '£0.00' bit sounded good. It took them going into another paragraph before they told me the thing that I suspected in the first instance, which is that my gas cylinder prices are going up. It would actually have been kinder, mates, and I'd have felt more charitably towards you, if you had just admitted that in clear English at the start. Anyway, while my natural thought is that the National Motor Museum should be at Beaulieu, I don't know if there's anything inherently bad about either side finding they disagree (presumably about money, because when isn't it?). But there doesn't have to be a moral victor in every argument, and it might not be so bad to just admit as much and say that at some point there will be two car museums. That could ultimately work out just fine for both parties and museum-goers. Shame, then, that this unspoken acrimony will linger in the memory for more time than a bit of plain-speaking clarity would have.

8/15/2026

Andy Green's run to a hydrogen land speed record looked easy – but things weren't nearly that simple The Bonneville Salt Flats were named to recognise explorer Benjamin Bonneville. But to the special, wonderful breed of individuals drawn to this quiet corner of Utah to drive extreme vehicles as fast as they possibly can in a straight line, it’s simply known as The Salt. The definite article is used because The Salt isn’t simply the remnants of a long-dried up lake. It’s vast, otherworldly and barren yet simulteneously evocative and steeped in history. Hot, dry, exposed and, yes, very salty, it’s a hostile, challenging environment to spend any time in. And that’s exactly why it’s irresistably alluring to speed record chasers. The expanse of Bonneville makes it the ultimate blank canvas: with an ambitious dream, you can write your own story here. The possiblities are endess, although it helps if that dream involves going very quickly in a straight line. And 18 months ago, JCB chairman Lord Bamford dreamt up a story. Strictly, this was a sequel: 20 years ago, the JCB Dieselmax came to Bonneville and set a new 350mph land speed record for diesel-powered cars. This time, Bamford wanted to showcase his firm’s burgeoning hydrogen combustion technology. He summoned Ryan Ballard, JCB’s engineering director, and Lee Harper, its chief engineer, and asked them to take two of the firm’s hydrogen-combustion digger engines, stick them in a slipstreamer and smash both the hydrogen speed record and Dieselmax’s time. Ballard walked away from that meeting thinking this was a dream too far for Bamford, that it simply coudn’t be done. But then he and Harper thought about it, crunched some numbers and realised it could work, “which meant we actually had to go and do it”. Eighteen months later, soon after Andy Green had powered the JCB Hydromax across The Salt at an average speed of 406.320mph, Ballard sits down in front of me, looking tired, relieved and very satisifed. Bamford’s dream has been realised.  The preparation It takes less than an hour to set a land speed record – and only 18 seconds or so of that really matters. Under FIA rules, cars must complete two runs on a course in opposite directions; they have 60 minutes from the start of run one to passing the finish on the return. The JCB team used a 10-mile course, leaving an extra mile of run-off in either direction. The crucial bit is the measured mile, which at 406.320mph took Hydromax less than nine seconds to cover. “The run itself was relatively drama-free,” says Ballard. “But while it may have looked calm, there was an awful lot going on.”  That has been true of the project from the start: while it was only publicly announced in May this year, Ballard and his team had been working intensively for a year or so before that. This was a true JCB passion project: Ballard, Harper and numerous other members worked on Hydromax and its innovative powertrain alongside their day jobs, developing and refining the engineering firm’s construction machines. Several members also worked on Dieselmax, and that car provided a basic template. Another key holdover from Dieselmax was driver Green, the holder of the outright 763mph land speed record with the Thrust SSC jet car in 1997. Now 64, Green underwent physical tests to prove he could still deliver behind the wheel; in return, JCB had to convince him about the fuel source. “I started by saying ‘you want me to strap into a car with how much pressurised hydrogen?’” he says. “They utterly convinced me about its safety. I’d now rather be in a hydrogen car than a petrol or diesel one.” While much of the project was done in-house, specialist help was recruited. Ricardo was tasked with taking JCB’s production-spec 4.8-litre hydrogen-combustion engines and turning them from a 74bhp lump used by diggers into 800bhp race units. The firm fitted special radiators, intercoolers and turbochargers, lightened them by 100kg and modified them so they could run on their side to lower Hydromax’s centre of gravity. Six engines were hand-built. Prodrive developed the tubular steel frame chassis and multilink suspension, Xtrac provided a six-speed gearbox (each engine was attached to its own gearbox and its own axle), while Goodyear – which has pretty much cornered the market in speed record tyres – developed custom sets for the project. Dieselmax was essentially limited by its tyres; Ballard says the new Goodyears were “stress-tested to beyond 400mph, and we were quite close to the upper limit”. Aerodynamics were a focus, the design being honed to produce 10% less drag than Dieselmax. Features specifically for Bonneville include sculpted salt spray extractor channels, designed to force salt off the car’s underside, where it would otherwise get stuck and create drag. What the team lacked before the record attempt was mileage: there was a single test at RAF Wittering, where Green barely pushed past 200mph, before travelling to Utah. The bulk of Hydromax’s testing would come in the public arena of Bonneville Speed Week. Getitng up to speed Speed Week is Bonneville Speedway’s crown jewel event, drawing hundreds of brave teams and thousands of spectators to The Salt. The nearest town is Wendover, which straddles the border of Utah and Nevada. Most of the hotels are on the Nevada side of the state line and contain massive casinos; think Las Vegas with all the glamour of a truck stop.  The Hydromax workshop was located in a hangar on Wendover Airfield, famous for being from where Enola Gay departed the US in 1945. Thankfully, JCB was there to tell a far more positive story. Given the effort that goes into developing a speed record challenger, it’s hard to comprehend how little running they do. “When we arrived, we’d done the equivalent mileage of seven laps of Le Mans,” says Green. “Imagine turning up to that race with a car that had done seven laps of testing.” The challenge of The Salt is that, like any natural surface, it’s always changing. Much of the vast white surface is pockmarked with a crusty top layer. Officials from the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) repeatedly drive the course in a fleet of pick-ups dragging big metal blocks, creating a flat, smooth surface. The thickness of the salt varies along the course, creating different grip levels. And the wide changes in heat cause massive variance in how much moisture is near the surface. You learn about the salt by driving on the salt. Speed Week was one long learning experience: adjusting gearing and traction and power delivery and steering. The course was run in a single direction, going north towards Floating Mountain. Traction off the start was an issue: because of the gearing length, Green couldn’t engage first gear until Hydromax was doing 55mph, so a Defender Octa was used to push it up to speed, but even pro driver Darren Turner struggled to find enough traction in the 4x4. The most crucial learning experience of Speed Week: how to stop. The two determining factors in how fast a land speed record car can go: its tyres and how quickly it can brake. For Hydromax, first Green lifts off the throttle to allow any remaining hydrogen to be purged from the car, then deploys two parachutes that slow the car before the friction brakes can be used. Ensuring the parachute system worked as intended and refining the parachutes themselves was key. Green chose to pack them into the car himself. By the end of the week, the Hydromax had clocked 368.347mph – a new class record. That had been done with the same two engines used for the UK testing, tuned for around 600bhp each. Over the weekend, JCB’s engineers switched them out for two fresh engines, each producing closer to the 800bhp maximum. Record time With Speed Week over, by Monday JCB had The Salt to themselves. The only sign of the mass gathering on this vast landscape just days before were rows of Honey Bucket portable toilets, still awaiting collection. This was a test day, with Green making three runs and slowly learning what difference that extra power made. “The course had changed too,” says Ballard. “Even after a few days, the salt was completely different, so we had to make some changes to the power deployment.” Another challenge: this was Green’s first chance to drive the course in the reverse direction, running south from Floating Mountain. Working out how to stop the car in this direction was particularly crucial, because if he exceeded the run-off area, he would end up on Interstate 80. That brought the total runs Hydromax had completed to just 47. Only two remained. But there was plenty to sort before them. “We were making changes to the car into the night,” says Ballard. “Then we found the rear motor had ingested some black plastic and wrecked the turbocharger. So we had to change that, and the air cooler as well.” Despite that late night for the mechanics, Tuesday required an early start: the optimum time for a record run is after early moisture has burned off but before the heat rises too sharply. Thankfully, conditions on Tuesday were perfect. The same couldn’t be said for Hydromax. When the team unloaded the machine from its custom trailer at the start line, there was an oil leak from the rear turbo. “We can’t really work out why, given we had changed the whole thing,” says Ballard. Still, the only option was to fit an entirely new one on the salt flats. “We said a little prayer, fired it up and it worked.” Entering history Once settled, Green clambered into Hydromax while the engineers shoved in the 250kg of ice necessary to keep the car cool during its run, fired up the engines and waited for 'Octa-pushy' – with Lord Bamford in the passenger seat – to shove him up to 55mph. From there, Green worked up through the gears until exceeding 400mph. For the first run, his goal was to go marginally faster than 400mph – a solid base to work from.  “We hit the first mile at 230mph,” says Green, “still accelerating through fourth and fifth. Mile five is the go/no-go for whether we’re going to make 400 – and we’re over-performing, doing 410mph going into the measured mile. It’s the fastest I’ve ever gone in this car.” The crucial part of the course ran from mile 5.5 and, paradoxically, Green lifted and turned off the engines as he entered. This allowed the engines to purge ahead of the 3.5-mile slowdown. “The aim is to control the speed,” Green says, “although I actually lifted off about 100 yards too early.” Green passed through the mile at 400.623mph, cutting it finer than anticipated. Parachutes, brake and steer off the course – as much as a car with barely any steering can – and then it’s turnaround time. Change the tyres, refill the ice, refuel and more. “We’ve got 50 minutes, so it’s an absolute race,” says Ballard. While there was a receiving team at the far end of the course, engineers in the JCB pits are already analysing telemetry data sent over 5G. One of Ballard’s jobs was to pull a physical memory stick with the high-fidelity data from the car and hand it to an engineer who would speed back to the pits five miles away in a Defender Octa with more data to check. “We were a bit worried about the high temperatures,” says Ballard. “The car got so hot it burned the paint and carbon on the side and was really close to triggering an alarm that would have meant aborting the second run. So we had to make an instant decision to change the calibration for the engines over the airwaves with minutes to spare.” Still, the team had planned for this. “You think it’s simple, given it’s a straight line, but the team is split across 10 miles of salt flat," says Ballard. "The logistics have taken some figuring out.” With the turnaround complete, it was back over to Green. This time, Lord Bamford and his family were at the side of the course waiting to see Hydromax shoot past. When it flashed past with an engine whoosh that sounded more Spitfire than digger, it looked fast. Well, faster than any other run. And it was: Green’s speed for the return leg was 412.135mph. Job done. The team’s incredible efforts across 18 months and a frantic hour of intense activity were repaid in less than 18 seconds. The world has a new fastest-ever hydrogen car. In fact, Hydromax is the fastest zero-emission car on the planet. Lord Bamford spoke of how the records proved that hydrogen must be part of a low-carbon future, especially for heavy machinery. His dream had been emphatically delivered on The Salt. For Ballard, though, “the overwhelming emotion is ‘thank goodness we’ve done it’. There have been many times in this process I’ve sat there thinking ‘how are we going to do this?’. My wife and family are here, and they’ve pulled me through a few times. “We took it to the edge of the performance envelope. And to think all that’s coming out the back is H2O. It’s brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.”

8/14/2026

Toned-down take on S1 LM majors on long-distance refinement; keeps howling V12 and manual gearbox Gordon Murray has revealed the S1 as a modern-day tribute to his seminal McLaren F1 supercar. The latest limited-run creation from Gordon Murray Automotive's Special Vehicles division is a "more touring-focused" take on the S1 LM revealed last year. While that car took inspiration from the Le Mans-winning F1 GTR, this new arrival is pitched as a follow-up to the 250mph F1 road car.  As such, it has been completely rebodied with less fearsome styling, "optimised for mechanical grip, rather than high downforce".  It loses the massive rear wing, race-style front splitter and deep side skirts, while a new active aero system at the rear helps to keep it stuck to the road at high speeds.  The headlights are new, too, with integrated running lights to give a different signature to the S1 LM, while the new lightweight wheels are inspired by an early design for the F1 that Murray showed in 1992.  The S1 also rides 10mm higher than the S1 LM, on suspension that has been tuned for more compliance - at minimal penalty to steering precision and feedback, according to GMA. Like the S1 LM, it's fundamentally based on the GMA T50, using the same 681bhp 4.2-litre Cosworth V12 and manual gearbox – reconfigured with a broader torque range for "effortless touring".  Despite the less hardcore remit and a higher-spec cockpit with three leather seats, a beefier sound system and more sound deadening, the carbonfibre-bodied S1 weighs less than the T50. The S1 will be a less exclusive proposition than the five-off S1 LM, with 64 units planned to be built. GMA hasn't given a price, but one of the S1 LMs achieved a £16 million hammer price at auction last year, so expect the S1 to cost several times the £2.8m T50.

8/14/2026

Rally-raid weapon hits the road as an extreme four-seater with wild chassis tech – and Flight mode The Defender Dakar racer is now available as a highly exclusive off-road supercar with a 626bhp V8, a desert-ready suspension package - and numberplates. The road-legal version of JLR's works Dakar Rally entry is an uprated version of the extreme Defender Octa, featuring a suite of upgrades used in the formidable D7X-R rally raider, which won the new Stock category of last year's event. Previewed by a concept at Monterey Car Week, the Defender Dakar rides on a hardcore specialist suspension package that includes bespoke coils and motorsport-honed Bilstein Advanced dampers - and huge 35in All-Terrain tyres wrapped around forged 20in wheels.  It also comes with new rally-ready drive modes including Dunes, Gravel and, excitingly, Flight, which is designed to ensure smooth landings on "extreme and varied terrain".   It's powered by the same 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged BMW-derived V8 engine as the Octa, pumping out 626bhp and 553lb ft of torque. The Octa has been downtuned slightly in the name of emissions reduction, but it's understood that the Dakar can retain the full output, because it will be sold in the UK via Individual Vehicle Approval. The extreme off-road potential is signalled by a Dakar-flavoured makeover that adds roof-mounted light pods; carbonfibre air intakes and bonnet; extended wheel arches with exposed rivets; chunky mud flaps; and a blanking plate at the rear end instead of the traditional boot-mounted tyre. That's all supplemented by a choice of race-inspired paint schemes that includes a beige-and-turquoise livery modelled on 2025's race winner.   A rock-bashing skidplate running front to rear underneath completes the overhaul. The interior of the concept hasn't yet been revealed, but it will be a more spartan arrangement than that of the Octa, with just four individual race seats – optionally equipped with racing harnesses – and dedicated storage space in the back for helmets, the spare wheel and an on-board compressor.  JLR hasn't announced pricing nor how many units it will build, but the Dakar is sure to command a hefty premium over the £147,000 Octa when reservation slots open early next year.

8/14/2026

Exclusive new Porsche Flachbau RS turns 911 GT2 RS into a very special tribute to a 1970s legend Porsche has paid tribute to its famed 'Moby Dick' 935/78 race car, giving the previous-generation 911 GT2 RS its signature slanted nose. The latest commission from the firm's Sonderwunsch (‘special request’) division is a one-off created in collaboration with tuning and racing partner Manthey. It represents a dramatic transformation of the GT2 RS, which was already among the most focused road cars yet produced by Porsche. The conversion project took three years from start to finish, despite being concentrated on a single example of the 911. Among the main challenges in the car’s development was to integrate the ‘Flachbau’ flat nose of the 935/78 while remaining within the confines of road legality. The conversion was shaped by veteran designer Grant Larson, who retired at the end of 2025 after 36 years working for Porsche – including penning the reborn 935 unveiled in 2018. Key changes from the underlying 911 include lower-set front wings with slatted air ducts, which reduce air pressure in the wheel arches. The revised arch design required Porsche to modify the fuel filler flap and its mechanism. In tribute to the race car, the Flachbau RS is stripped of creature comforts including its infotainment system, speakers and sound deadening. Even individual cables in the wiring loom were removed to save weight. Consequently it weighs 31.6kg less than the GT2 RS on which it's based. The powertrain is unchanged, however, the twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre flat six putting out 691bhp and 553lb ft of torque. “Our aim was to reinterpret the iconic look of the 935 without compromising on safety, technology or road legality,” said Alexander Fabig, Porsche’s vice-president of product offering and individualisation.

8/14/2026

Super Veloce treatment turns V12 Lambo into a warp-speed track slayer with titanic power The new Revuelto SV brings even more firepower to Lamborghini's PHEV hypercar, and is the "essence of Lamborghini's DNA", according to CEO Stephan Winkelmann. Taking inspiration from its GT3 race cars, Lamborghini has transformed the Revuelto into its fifth Super Veloce model with a long list of upgrades that boost mechanical grip and downforce in addition to the extra power. At the car's heart is the same 6.5-litre V12 that the regular Revuelto uses, but the SV gets a bigger, 7.3kWh battery to power its three electric motors. This boosts the total output by 50bhp to 1051bhp, outmuscling its 1036bhp Ferrari 849 Testarossa rival, and cuts its 0-62mph time to 2.4sec. The SV also brings 80% more downforce than the standard car and 10% more than even the strictly limited Aventador SVJ. That's thanks to a new front splitter, which has its air-splitting vanes highlighted in red, as well as a fixed rear spoiler that sits in place of the regular Revuelto's active unit. The rear diffuser remains but its underside has been flattened to improve downforce. The SV's suspension set-up is inspired by that of Lamborghini's Squadra Corse race cars, with new dampers that can be manually adjusted for compression and rebound. There are 14 'clicks' of stiffness or slackness at each corner and Lamborghini engineers will provide owners with recommended settings for road, track, and wet-weather driving. Stopping power is improved by way of new carbon-ceramic brakes with diameters of 420mm up front and 410mm at the rear. The SV also gains the 6D sensor tech that was introduced in the Temerario, which calculates the car's pitch, roll and yaw to allow finer control over its dynamic state. Lamborghini claims these measures improve the rate of deceleration by 11% under high loads and cut stopping distances by 10% across the board. The brakes are said to better resist fade too. Bridgestone Potenza Race R semi-slick tyres are fitted as standard, but owners can also choose the less aggressive Potenza Sport for use in variable conditions. Inside, the cockpit has been tweaked to emphasise the motorsport influence behind the SV. Each bucket seat is made from a single piece of carbonfibre and has been inspired by design of the seats in the limited-run Fenomeno. The door panels are also carbon. However, the weight loss achieved by using exotic materials in the SV is offset by the mass added by the bigger hybrid battery. While pricing has yet to be revealed, it is likely that the Revuelto SV will be more than £500,000. Production will be limited to just two years, with the first cars arriving in early 2027.

8/14/2026

C8 Preliator XXV has 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that kicks out 800bhp, plus Coventry-built chassis Dutch sports car maker Spyker is back after years in the woods, having revived its C8 supercar – and it plans to finish the development of its SUV, two decades after first showing a concept. Following bankruptcy and a long-running legal dispute, company co-founder Victor Muller reacquired the rights to the historic brand name in October 2025. This June, a large stake in Spyker was sold to Ukrainian-born cryptocurrency magnate Volodymyr Nosov, prompting the comeback. The first car of the firm’s new era is the C8 Preliator XXV Coupé, a development of the C8 Preliator that was shown at the 2016 Geneva motor show. It references Spyker’s heritage as an aircraft manufacturer in the early 20th century, with propeller-style wheels and rear lights shaped to resemble jet fighters’ afterburners. The XXV is based on an aluminium spaceframe chassis assembled by a contractor in Coventry and powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8. This puts out 800bhp and 737lb ft of torque, pushed to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox. The car is capable of more than 217mph but, Spyker said, is intended to maximise engagement rather than pure pace. Its interior largely forgoes screens: the only digital surface is a head-up display. The switchgear and gauges are “deliberately analogue”. There's also a ‘butterfly mode’ that opens every panel for display at the push of a button, including the engine bay. A total of 25 examples of the XXV are planned to be built. Prices have yet to be disclosed, but Spyker is targeting multi-millionaires and billionaires in its new phase. To that end, it has made its debut at The Quail gathering, an exclusive event hosted as part of Monterey Car Week in the US. In addition to the new supercar, Spyker said it's considering a return to endurance racing in the GT3 class and “is expected” to finish development of the D8 Peking-to-Paris SUV. This was first shown in D12 concept form (pictured above) at the 2006 Geneva motor show, but a production version has never materialised.

8/14/2026

Vanquish-based hyper-GT is priced from £1.5m and offers almost unlimited personalisation Aston Martin has transformed the Vanquish into a V12-engined hyper-GT called the Valen that has more power than any other front-engined road car on sale. The radical new Valen is the latest ultra-exclusive model from Aston Martin's Special Vehicles Operations division, which created the Vulcan track car, DBR22 speedster and the one-off Victor hypercar. The new hyper-GT packs the 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 from the Vanquish but ramps the power output to 838bhp, making it more powerful than any Aston apart from the mid-engined Valhalla and Valkyrie. Torque stands at 738lb ft and the Valen can dispatch 0-62mph in 3.1sec, the same time as the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. The Valen's Vanquish origins are clear from its silhouette but it has been extensively overhauled inside and out in line with its heightened performance and exclusivity. High levels of personalisation will mean no two of the 150 customer cars will look the same. Although the Valen's striking appearance nods to the original DBS and its successor, the Vantage, Aston Martin creative chief Marek Reichman said it is a significant departure from past models. "Valen gave us the opportunity to explore and express more extreme emotions through a new form language and surface treatment," he said. Defining features include the brutish new snout—which takes the signature Aston Martin grille motif and expands it across the entire front end—as well as the chunky ducktail spoiler, the aggressive slimline LED lights and, most obviously, the GT3-style carbonfibre aerodynamic addenda, including a huge rear diffuser and downforce-boosting side skirts. There's an eye-catching new exhaust set-up too, with two exits in the diffuser and two through its centre. The uppermost exits are always open, while the lower set is valved, opening in the raciest drive modes. The use of carbonfibre, aluminium, titanium and magnesium has helped to make the Valen as much as 110kg lighter than its Vanquish counterpart. The optional lightweight pack alone saves 16.9kg, bringing machined-aluminium suspension arms and knuckles, plus titanium chassis bolts. Meanwhile, the gearbox has been remapped with the software from Aston Martin's Vantage GT4 race car, giving more aggressive shifts. The throttle pedal's behaviour has also been modified so it is more sensitive in the road-focused Sport and Sport+ drive modes, while the throttle's travel is extended in Track mode for "when on-limit precision is the priority". The suspension has also been stiffened by way of new springs and the steering response has been quickened for improved responsiveness—completing the Vanquish's transition from super-GT to no-holds-barred performance weapon. Simon Newton, Aston Martin's director of vehicle performance, suggested the ambition was to unleash the latent sporting potential of the Vanquish. "Valen channels the more overt dynamic purpose of a true sports car," said Newton, who added that the revisions "intensify the character of Aston Martin's signature GT." Each of the 150 examples of the Valen will be priced at £1.5 million—before buyers delve into an extensive catalogue of optional extras. These include an exposed-carbonfibre exterior finish that can be tinted to whichever colour the customer wishes, through Aston Martin's Q division. The Valen also makes extensive use of 3D printing, such as around the centre console.

8/14/2026

Row-your-own sports cars are endangered, but they give so much more engagement than an auto There is no longer any objective argument to be made for the manual gearbox or, by extension, against the automatic gearbox. Automatics, whether dual-clutch or of the conventional planetary type, are faster, smoother, more convenient and more efficient than the old-fashioned H-pattern transmission with a lever and a clutch pedal. This, then, is not an objective argument but an emotional one. I love a good manual gearbox, and I'm extremely pleased cars like the new McLaren McL 6GT are bringing them back in a big way.  Once upon a time, automatic gearboxes were slow and wasted energy with their slushy torque converters, while automated manuals were slow and jerky. Some are still a bit like that, but many now operate with clinical efficiency. Even so, at best automatics bore me. They go about their business smoothly and quickly but, even if they have a responsive manual mode and some tactile paddles, as a driver I don’t feel like an essential part of the equation. As a result, any driving satisfaction is necessarily derived from winding the engine out and pushing the chassis. Everything else is just transit. But those delights require a certain level of commitment and speed, which isn’t always possible, let alone advisable, on the road. Add a good manual gearbox into the mix and everything changes. ‘Good’ is an important caveat, it must be said. What constitutes ‘good’ varies by personal taste, but it’s uncontroversial to say that long-throw, baggy shifts are no good to anyone. If the action is precise and mechanical, however, with a predictable and manageable throw on the clutch pedal, a manual adds a huge extra dimension to driving. Straights, boring A-roads and jaunts through town become an opportunity to interact with the mechanicals of the car, to hone your skill. Every manual car has a certain speed and cadence of gearchange where the lever slips effortlessly out of one gear and then almost gets sucked into the next. Finding it can take a bit of time and attention, but it’s very satisfying when you do. It’s the same with rev-matching on downshifts. Of course, you can just slip the clutch a bit and lurch into a lower gear. The driving test doesn’t require anything more sophisticated and it works fine for most people. But once you master the art of heel-and-toeing to match engine speed and gearbox speed for seamless downchanges, it’s a game you can play over and over again, no matter whether you’re on a track day or going between third and second in traffic. I can see how that’s perceived as a chore if you’re just trying to get from A to B, but I’m never just going from A to B: I’d like to enjoy the driving while I’m at it, even if it’s not a special journey. I don’t care that the auto is faster: you can’t go very fast on the road anyway and I’m not in a race. I want to savour the mechanical interaction. McLaren gets this. In creating the new six-speed McL 6GT, it says it has strived to achieve the strongest link between man and machine possible, to give "a form of driving connection that is increasingly rare: tactile, analogue, and deeply mechanical". "Every shift, throttle movement and steering input is intended to feel deliberate, physical, and rewarding, connecting the driver to the machine," it says. "This mechanical character extends beyond the drivetrain. Hydraulic steering, tactile switchgear, and visible engineering details all contribute to a sense of purity of involvement for the driver." Promising.    With hybrids, electric cars and combustion engine bans, things are only heading one way for the manual, and I find the idea of simulated gearboxes – like that in the new Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale – a bit too ‘vegan sausage’ to be more than a whimsical gimmick. Perhaps surprisingly, then, the EV transition doesn’t bother me too much, because I find having no gearbox preferable to an automatic one, since it can afford instant responses and I like the mechanical purity of an EV. As a result, a two-car garage of an EV and something old with a really special engine and a manual gearbox would probably keep me happy. What would it be, though? The Frontline MGB restomod that I drove last year, with its Mazda MX-5-sourced six-speed, had my favourite manual shift so far – not a bad place to start.

8/14/2026

Review will look at softening EV sales targets from 2027-2035 as industry argues they aren't achievable The UK government has launched a review that will consider whether to soften the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate targets for electric car sales from 2027 to 2035. It will look to consult with car makers, the wider industry and other stakeholders to reduce the proportion of EV sales that brands need to make between 2027 and 2035, at which point all new vehicles must be zero-emissions under the current plan.  The government said it aims to ensure the EV sales mix targets outlined in the ZEV mandate "remain pro-business and grounded in the real world". Launching the long-promised consultation today (14 August), the government is inviting manufacturers, suppliers, charging companies, retailers and consumers to contribute their views on how to achieve the planned phase-out of pure-ICE vehicles by 2030. The move comes just after the best month for EV sales in the UK since 2019, with registrations up 45% year on year in July to give them a market share of more than 25%. The government said that growth is partly testament to the effectiveness of its new Electric Car Grant scheme, but also that the review will look to adapt ZEV sales rules in light of "challenging and complex global economic conditions, including supply chain disruption and tariff and trade uncertainty". Saying it wants to "give industry certainty on the outcomes as quickly as possible", the government has imposed a 23 October end date on the consultation, meaning it will last just over two months. Sources had earlier suggested it would be capped at six weeks.  There is a fear within government that the ZEV mandate will begin to impact the viability of car makers operating in the UK, putting jobs at risk. This will be a significant consideration of the review. However, it's also possible that no changes will be made, or just minor edits, with all options said to be on the table still.  Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said: "The UK EV market is strong: sales are up, British manufacturers and charge point operators are investing billions, alongside our backing of £7.5bn, including our Electric Car Grant that has helped over 160,000 people make the switch.   "It’s right we keep targets under review to ensure they're practical and back British industry. The end goal hasn't changed – but we need to take business with us on the journey, and that’s exactly what we’re doing today, by making sure industry has the chance to shape how we get there."  Whatever the precise changes may be, the review will undoubtedly be welcomed by nearly all 'legacy' car makers, which have long argued that the targets aren't reachable and don't keep pace with market interest in EVs. This will be their chance to have their say on the record and try to influence a change in the policy.  The ZEV mandate was introduced in 2024, when 22% of sales had to be electric. It rose to 28% in 2025 and is at 33% this year. Next year’s target, the first impacted by the review, is at 38%. From there it rises sharply to 52% in 2028, to 66% in 2029 and to 80% in 2030. There are no set target for the years between 2030 and 2035 (100% electric) at this stage. The wider view of industry is that this is simply not achievable. The most recent set of car sales data published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders revealed that EV sales rose 44.5% year on year from July 2025 but the current run rate of EV sales this year is still only one in four, when one in three is needed. One review has already taken place on the ZEV mandate. This lowered fines for non-compliant cars sold from £15,000 to £12,000 and allowed a greater degree of flexibility between banking and borrowing EV sales against future years, as manufacturers introduced EVs as different rates. Low-volume car makers were also given more time to apply and certain exemptions applied, while hybrid cars were confirmed as being allowable for sale from 2030 until 2035. The review will be the first major policy intervention into the industry by the Andy Burnham administration. There is a genuinely held fear about what impact the ZEV mandate will have on car makers that have invested in facilities and people in the UK over many years and what it will do to their viability and therefore jobs. There is also awareness that new Chinese entrants to the market aren't suffering in the same way as the 'legacy' car makers in having to make a pivot towards EV. They won't lose out on jobs or cancel any market investment into the UK in the way that existing stakeholders will. The full scope of the review isn't yet known, but it’s possible that targets for the years 2031 to 2034 could also be set. There’s no indication yet if the 2035 deadline itself is up for review. However, given the role that the UK car parc plays in the wider net-zero legislation for 2050, it has long been anticipated and accepted that an overwhelming majority of new car sales must still be electric by 2035 if the legally binding net-zero by 2050 will be realised.  Writing last week in a blog post, the SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said that despite record sales for EVs demand was tracking some 10-13% below levels needed for the industry to be ZEV mandate compliant in its current form. He argued that the mandate can force supply but it cannot force demand, and as such car manufacturers were being forced into spending billions on the likes of discounts to artificially stimulate demand to bridge the gap. "This is not a sustainable business model," he wrote. "Every pound spent on discounting is a pound diverted from the investment needed to keep the UK competitive. "It also matters for decarbonisation itself, since EVs built in the UK typically carry less embedded carbon than many of those from elsewhere – a point often ignored or dismissed as 'out of scope', despite climate change being a global issue. And if selling vehicles in the UK becomes increasingly costly as a result, the case for investing here is thereby weakened, irrespective of where those vehicles are sold." Hawes added that not one single manufacturer selling in the UK, be it ZEV mandate-compliant or not or domestic or importing, believes the UK is on track to hit the 2030 target of an 80% market share for EVs. "Urgent reform of the mandate is therefore needed, alongside renewed commitment from all stakeholders to build consumer confidence," he concluded.

8/14/2026

Sales of seminal electric saloon have faltered; replacement expected to join next-generation Panamera range Porsche plans to discontinue the Taycan by no later than 2030, according to a report by German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche. Citing insider sources, the publication claims that Porsche originally considered relocating Taycan production from its Stuttgart plant to Leipzig, where capacity utilisation had been significantly lower than expected. An alternative option of an immediate discontinuation was also examined. The decision to phase out the electric saloon over several years rather than ending production abruptly has reportedly been agreed with the Porsche works council but has yet to be formalised. Production of the Taycan is expected to remain in Stuttgart until the planned phase-out. Porsche CEO Michael Leiters was non-committal when asked about the Taycan’s future in a July interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: "In the short term, we are not planning to discontinue the Taycan. We have invested a lot in the model and want to observe how demand develops." Porsche didn't respond to Autocar's request for comment on the reported discontinuation by 2030. The Taycan was launched as Porsche's first electric model in 2019. When the company floated on the stock market in 2022, then chairman Oliver Blume said it was targeting 80% of sales from EVs by 2030. That has yet to materialise. After peaking at 40,960 in 2023, Taycan deliveries fell to 16,339 in 2025. In the first half of 2026, Porsche sold 6219 Taycans. In this time, production has been paused multiple times due to dwindling sales. Despite the reported phasing out of the Taycan, Porsche isn't expected to abandon the electric performance saloon market. A successor could form part of the fourth-generation Panamera line-up in a strategy similar to that of the Macan and Cayenne, where combustion-engined and electric models coexist under a single model name with distinctly different exterior designs. Porsche's Leipzig plant is well-equipped to support such a consolidation. The facility already produces the Panamera and Macan Electric on a single production line capable of building petrol, plug-in hybrid and electric models. With the Taycan currently built at Porsche’s Zuffenhausen plant in Stuttgart alongside the 911, relocating production of a Panamera-badged successor to Leipzig would consolidate saloon manufacturing and improve economies of scale. Porsche has already written down €1.8 billion related to delayed platform development.

8/14/2026

"Tactile, analogue and deeply mechanical": V8 tribute to Bruce McLaren enters production in 2028 McLaren has revealed the new McL 6GT as a highly exclusive tribute to its first road car – and its first model with a manual gearbox since the F1. Shown as a concept in near-production-ready form at Monterey Car Week in California, the McL 6GT will go on sale in 2028 as a spiritual successor to the M6GT, the only road car built by company founder Bruce McLaren. The production car will be the first of a new line of limited-run models separate from the core McLaren line-up and with a different focus from extreme, highly performant Ultimate Series models like the Speedtail and W1. Our view: McLaren's manual revival shows the art of stick-shifting isn't dead “It is presented as an unmistakable signal of how the maverick spirit within McLaren can inform a future-facing approach to McLaren cars that will captivate with character,” said the company. With a completely new design approach to any of McLaren’s current models, the 6GT is a 1960s-inspired, lightweight, carbon-bodied supercar with a V8 driving the back axle through a six-speed manual gearbox - Woking's first in more than three decades. In silhouette, it nods to the M6A Can-Am racer, which was so instrumental in putting McLaren on the global motorsport map and provided the basis for the original M6GT (below). McLaren highlights the clean, low-drag surfacing and distinctive Kamm tail as features influenced by its forebear. Meanwhile, there are subtle nods to Bruce McLaren – including his signature in the engine bay and the original ‘Speedy Kiwi’ company logo etched into the filler cap. The company remains tight-lipped on technical specifics, but the McL 6GT is thought to be at least partly based on the outgoing 750S supercar, which follows a similar format, albeit with an automatic gearbox. That car weighs less than 1400kg, achieves 0-62mph in 2.8sec and tops out at 206mph. But rather than bidding for performance supremacy, the focus of the 6GT is to “celebrate a form of driving connection that is increasingly rare: tactile, analogue and deeply mechanical”, said McLaren. It added: “Every shift, throttle movement and steering input is intended to feel deliberate, physical and rewarding, connecting the driver to the machine.” The company said this approach is evident in not just the fitment of a manual gearbox but also in the use of “tactile” switchgear, visible engineering details and, in true McLaren fashion, hydraulic steering. While a limited-production car, the 6GT is the first new McLaren model line revealed since the company merged with start-up Forseven in spring last year and pledged to substantially renew and expand its model line-up. This promised range of collector-friendly supercars in the vein of the 6GT will play a key role in this reinvention. But the company has yet to shed any firm light on future mass-produced cars, which are thought to include sports cars, SUVs and possibly even saloons. More details are expected in the coming months.

8/14/2026

New CZ26 special reinvents the PHEV supercar with cues inspired by 1970s industrial design Ferrari has reinvented the SF90 as the supercar of the future – and it could provide a hint at the brand’s next styling direction. The new CZ26 represents a total transformation of Maranello's previous plug-in-hybrid flagship, which has since been replaced by the 849 Testarossa. The new look was penned by Ferrari’s design boss Flavio Manzoni, working with a special client based in the US. It's said to have a “technological” design with a “forward-looking vision”, suggesting it may serve as a testbed for ideas being considered for the next generation of Ferrari supercars. Most notably, its front end is a near total departure from that of the SF90 on which it was based, replacing its C-shaped lighting signatures with thin LEDs set into a gloss-black panel that runs across the width of the front end. The treatment is also reminiscent of the Luce EV, although it remains to be seen whether that car – designed by Jony Ive and Marc Newson – will have a greater influence on mainstream Ferraris in the years to come. Ferrari said the new look draws on Italian industrial designers of the 1970s, producing a cleaner, more minimalist aesthetic. It also boosts downforce, thanks to new ducts in the front end, a redesigned rear diffuser and a more prominent rear spoiler. The CZ26 is the latest in a run of one-offs built for Ferrari’s most special clients, following the SC40 and HC25. The Italian firm doesn't disclose prices for these models but, given their exclusivity, they're likely to run into the millions. The CZ26 is making its debut as part of Monterey Car Week in the US, a hotbed for rare and high-value cars.

8/14/2026

Extreme new version of Lucid's big electric SUV picks up the flame from Tesla Model X Plaid with 1070bhp American EV firm Lucid has cranked up its Gravity SUV to 1070bhp, creating a seven-seater that can keep up with most full-blown supercars. The new Lucid Gravity GT-S, revealed today at Monterey Car Week, follows a similar recipe to the warp-speed Sapphire version of the Lucid Air saloon and is said to "demonstrate how Lucid continues to expand the boundaries of what a luxury electric vehicle can be". With a 0-60mph time of just 3.1sec, this new range-topping version of the 2.7-tonne Gravity is comfortably the quickest seven-seater in the world (after the retirement of the Tesla Model X Plaid) - and roughly as quick off the mark as the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, Ferrari Amalfi and BMW M3 CS. The Kia EV9 GT is currently the only performance-focused electric seven-seater available in the UK, but with 'just' 501bhp it needs another 1.4sec to complete the sprint.  Lucid claims that beyond pure straight-line speed, the Gravity GT-S is also about offering improved handling and agility over the standard car. To that end, it comes with a Dynamic Handling package that brings independent rear-wheel steering and adaptive three-chamber air suspension that lowers at speed for optimum efficiency and stability. Lucid hasn't given full technical details, so it remains unclear whether the GT-S has a dual-motor powertrain like the standard Gravity or the tri-motor arrangement from the Air Sapphire. Chief creative officer Derek Jenkins said: "With Lucid Gravity GT-S, we've created a more expressive and exhilarating interpretation of the Gravity SUV. "It combines extraordinary performance with the comfort, space and versatility that define Gravity, delivering an exceptional experience for our customers that is uniquely Lucid." The GT-S is exclusive to the US market, where it will cost the equivalent of £93,000.  Lucid sells the Air and Gravity in small volumes in Europe but won't offer them in right-hand drive. Its first UK-bound model is set to be the mid-sized Cosmos crossover, which was previewed earlier this month ahead of a production start in 2027.

8/14/2026

New convertible version of supercar can out-accelerate Bugatti Mistral and brings braking innovation American firm Czinger has removed the roof from its 1250bhp tandem-seat hypercar – which can outsprint a Bugatti. It claims the 21C Spyder generates the most downforce of any open-top road car, producing 1482kg at 150mph – or 1500kg with the roof panel in place. The V8 hybrid is even quicker in a straight line than the Bugatti Mistral, taking 1.9sec to hit 62mph from rest, compared with 2.5sec for its W16-engined rival. The 21C Spyder also introduces a new braking system, produced using the same ‘BioLogic’ 3D-printing technique as for its extraterrestrial-looking suspension arms and chassis braces. This, Czinger claims, reduces unsprung mass while improving rigidity and cooling and reducing stopping distances by 15% compared with the 21C’s existing system. It's also said to reduces brake squeal. The 21C Spyder is powered by the same 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 as the existing 21C, which produces 750bhp on standard unleaded petrol. This is matched with two electric motors on the front axles and one connected to the crankshaft, which unlock the full output.  Czinger said the 21C Spyder didn't require additional structural reinforcement to make up for the lack of a roof, because such a variant had been planned when the carbonfibre tub was originally designed. However, there is extra bracing in the A-pillars to provide greater roll-over protection. This makes it only 10kg heavier than the 21C High Downforce coupé. Prices start at $2.75 million (£2 million), although they will vary: each example will be personalised according to its buyer’s wishes. A total of 30 will be produced.

8/14/2026

You could bag a used BMW limo for just a bit more cash than an equivalent 3 Series. No brainer, right? Hunting for a decent used BMW with proper luxury credentials? Chances are you're only considering a 3 Series or 5 Series, but what if we told you that you could step up to a 7 Series for only a little extra cash? A 3 Series or 5 Series estate won't cost much less than a comparable 7 Series saloon: a 2018 730d with 52,000 miles is stonking value at £20k, for example, while a 530d of similar vintage and condition could nudge £17k. It feels a good bit more special, too. Open the driver's door and you will see a badge on the B-pillar proclaiming a 'carbon core'. It's not a full, i8-style tub but a steel and CFRP structure that, together with a mostly aluminium body, keeps rigidity up and weight down (to as low as 1755kg) - which is great news for dynamics and efficiency. Admittedly the interior could have been a bit jazzier, but liberal use of leather and metal throughout still bolster the 7 Series' premium cachet-and it has aged well too. Even in short-wheelbase guise the 7 Series is a whopping 5.1m long, and it's commensurately capacious inside, with a boot that rivals many estates' for outright capacity, at 515 litres, and a mile of rear leg room. The long-wheelbase car (badged L) is 140mm longer, and all of that is felt in the rear seats. It is even more spacious than the equivalent stretched Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Two options are key to maximising the richness of the passenger experience: the Executive Package and the Rear Seat Comfort Package. You will often find them specified together, in which case look forward to heated and massaging 'comfort seats', multimedia screens and a tablet to control just about everything you might need from the back, from the ferocity of your massage to the channel of the digital television - which can also be used to browse the web. On the road, the biggest weakness of the 7 Series is exposed. It's no S-Class, that's for sure, producing more wind, road and suspension noise and serving a less cosseting ride. It's still deeply impressive, but the disparity is big enough to notice. However, if you're not being chauffeured, you might prefer the extra poise offered by the BMW's stiffer suspension. Cars with Active Steering have a rear axle that turns against the fronts at low speeds for better agility or with them on the motorway to improve stability. Most sixth-generation 7 Series (codenamed G11 or G12 in L form) are 730d (261bhp) or 740d (315bhp) variants, which is handy because this is a cruiser that's best served with a diesel engine. The 3.0-litre 'B57' turbo straight six is a quiet and torquey lump, and owners reckon 45mpg is achievable, making for a range of more than 800 miles. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder 725d (228bhp) is very rare and hardly any more efficient, while the quad-turbocharged straight-six 750d (395bhp) never made it to the UK. Petrols are less common but worth seeking out if you don't do big mileages. The V8 750i (444bhp) and V12 M760i (610bhp) are effortlessly quick but have the running costs to match; the 'B58' six was available on its own but more commonly sold in conjunction with a battery and electric motor in the plug-in hybrid 745e, which allowed for a real-world electric range of 25 miles. The G11 may not have the bling to match today's G70, but if you're after a luxurious BMW, it could be the most sensible option of all. An owner's view "My short-wheelbase 7 Series is surprisingly brilliant to drive on UK roads. I stuck to the 18in alloys and paired them with the upgraded Adaptive Drive dampers, and I have no qualms with the ride. The 315bhp, 500lb ft 740d is fabulously fast while returning 40mpg, it even makes a reasonable noise and the Active Steering really works at keeping the big girl manoeuvrable without changing the BMW feel of the dynamics at speed." Tony Cole Buyer beware... Engine: Watch out for coolant leaks, hot running or a blown thermostat. These issues are usually caused by poor-quality plastic pipes. We recommend replacing them with aftermarket metal items. Gearbox: ZF's widely used eight-speed automatic torque-converter handles shifting work for all engines. It has a great reputation and needs a service only every five years or 50,000 miles to keep it smooth. Electrics: Failing seat occupancy sensors throw up airbag warnings. Air-conditioning evaporators have failed - an expensive job that requires the removal of the dash. Some seat massage buttons have got stuck in the off position or stopped working entirely, with BMW dealers having to replace the unit to fix the issue. Suspension: The standard air suspension is starting to fail on the oldest cars out there. BMW will charge you £4000 to renew it all round, but a specialist should be able to do it for as little as £1000. The compressor costs another £2000 from BMW or half that from a specialist. Drivetrain: BMW's xDrive four-wheel drive system has a good reputation, but without a service every four years or 50,000 miles the differentials will wear. Also worth knowing A 2019 facelift introduced a controversial new face featuring massive kidney grilles, while extra sound-deadening measures improved refinement. The slow-selling 2.0-litre 740e PHEV was swapped for the 3.0-litre 745e, boosting electric range slightly in the process. Trims were either the luxury-focused Exclusive or more common M Sport with cosmetic upgrades. Both are well equipped but buyers had to dip into the options list to level up their cars with everything from night vision and laser lights to Adaptive Drive, which greatly improves the ride. All engine options are ULEZ-compliant and cars registered after 1 April 2017 that are more than five years old are just £195 per year to tax. How much to spend £11,000-£15,999: The lower end of this budget will buy you something with 200,000 miles, but find a no-expense-spared service history and you're looking at a potential bargain. £16,000-£24,999: Pre-facelift cars with anywhere from 100,000 miles to less than 50,000. Most are diesels. £25,000-£29,999: Wide choice of facelifted cars, V8 petrols and later plug-in hybrids. £30,000-£45,000: V12s and last-of-the-line models. Remember, the current 7 Series can't be had in pure-ICE form.

8/14/2026

MG switches to a next-gen front-drive platform for its latest value EV It might have been wild, unfenced territory to begin with, but manufacturers of electric cars are slowly converging on certain important conventions. Having experimented here and there, they are now tacitly agreeing what the best routes are towards efficiency, drivability, driver appeal and more in a modern electric passenger car.Fundamental drive layout is one area where difference still exists, however. Some brands started with front-motor, front-wheel-drive cars and later moved to rear-drive, finding efficiency gains on the way. Others have progressed in the opposite way and somehow found matching gains in the process.And some car makers see a case for both front-motor, front-drive and rear-motor, rear-drive EVs. MG owner SAIC is one of them. While most of MG’s electric cars to date have had rear-axle drive, SAIC’s latest new platform – called E3 – switches the layout around.The first car off that platform, the MG 4 EV Urban, is not a replacement for the popular MG 4 electric hatch, but a kind of sidekick for it. Yielding the packaging benefits of both semi-solid-state battery technology and a front-drive layout, it dovetails with the regular MG 4 range, reaching downwards into value-car territory – and giving customers who thought they could only afford an electrified supermini something much more practical to consider.

8/13/2026

McGovern joins the Autocar podcast to set the record straight on leaving JLR – and tell us what comes next Gerry McGovern has spoken exclusively to Autocar for the first time about his shock departure from JLR – and pledged to return to car design in the future. In his 24-year stint at the British firm, during which he rose to the role of chief creative officer, McGovern led the design of the reborn Defender and several generations of Range Rover and Discovery models. He was also responsible for the controversial Jaguar Type 00 electric concept. Autocar exclusively reported McGovern’s abrupt departure from JLR last December, but it took until March this year for the move to be officially announced by the firm – prompting speculation about whether he had quit or been sacked. McGovern is now serving as an advisor to Norton Motorcycles, and spoke exclusively to Autocar for the My Week in Car podcast (listen below). As well as explaining the reasons for his departure, describing the rumours as “all pretty inaccurate”, he insisted that his car design career isn't finished. “I want to do new stuff,” he said, “and I’m aware there are many opportunities out there. I’ve had a lot of approaches. I’m very particular about what I want and who I work with. But I’m definitely going to do more cars. They’re in my blood.” McGovern also spoke to Autocar’s Steve Cropley and Matt Prior about his career and rise through the car industry, the challenge of developing brand identity and the shift from designing cars to designing motorbikes. You can listen to the full chat above or read the interview exclusively online on our Apple News+ channel. You can also read it in this week’s Autocar magazine, which is available on news stands or as a digital edition.

8/13/2026

What are EV charging sites really like? We test some of the best to find your next pit stop There are more than 30,000 rapid and ultra-rapid EV chargers in the UK, across more than 7000 locations. Capable of delivering up to 480kW of power, they're key to the uptake of electric cars, but what are they like to use? To find out, I visited 10 charging stations, a mix of large 'hubs' near major routes and one or two smaller ones, whose operators tend to favour more local sites. I wanted to know how easy the chargers were to use, how suitable the locations were, how easy they were to find and what state the toilets were in. There were surprises and disappointments… Instavolt Test location: Stroud Park, Banbury, Oxfordshire Charging speed: 160kW Cost: 92p/kWh  We like: Easy to find and to use  We don't like: Missed out on the summer tariff Instavolt's special summer tariff of 70p/kWh (65p for subscribers) was available at Winchester but not here.. Still, that felt immaterial when my selected charger wouldn't recognise my credit or debit cards. A fellow user suggested I do a chip and PIN purchase to 'reset' one of them. At the nearby Costa, I bought some water with the credit card and was back in business. My Kia EV9 was at 79% so I just gave it a top-up to 81%, which took five minutes. A 'how to charge' info board made the process pain-free. The site was well signed from the access road but hard to miss anyway, being essentially a large car park with 32 rapid chargers in bright white. It was EV driver Keith Kelsey's first time there. "I saw the other chap helping you," he said. "We EV drivers stick together at times of crisis. Contactless doesn't always work." Tesla Test location: Brookfield Shopping Centre, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire Charging speed: up to 250kW  Cost: 36p-58p/kWh for non-Tesla owners; 26-42p/kWh for Tesla owners  We like: Great value, all makes  We don't like: Not obvious to see, non-EV parkers Located just off the busy A10 and only a few miles from the M25, this 16-charger station sits within a vast shopping centre complex at the back of a car park. In Tesla terms, it's pretty standard, discreet and no shelter but plenty of room to manoeuvre. It is an all-makes site (not all are), and with one tap of the card, my Kia was drawing around 85kW. There were six cars present when I visited.  Polat was charging his Kia Niro and told me the site could get busier and not just with people charging their cars. "Because it's a shopping centre, at peak times people just park in the charging bays if the car parks are full," he said. On the upside, he told me that with his £9.99 monthly Tesla subscription, he paid from just 26p/kWh.  Osprey Test location: Halfway House restaurant, Brentwood, Essex Charging speed: up to 180kW Cost: 87p/kWh (82p/kWh using Osprey app) We like: Attractive canopies, easy to use  We don't like: The signage could be clearer Just off the busy A127 London-Southend road, this charging station is indicated only by a small sign that is easy to miss. More obvious are the notices warning visitors of a £100 fine if they break the parking rules, which include logging your EV with reception within 15 minutes. The charging station was spacious and attractive, with sturdy wooden canopies offering users decent shelter. An information board told us how to charge: "Choose charger, tap card, plug in." My EV9 drew power at around 79kW.  There were six ultra-rapid chargers but only two other users, both charging vans. "It's a nice, quiet spot," one said. "I come here a lot and there have only been two occasions when the chargers were down." In the Halfway House itself, the toilets were clean, and a latte was £1 cheaper than in the Double Tree (see Ionity, overleaf). Shell Recharge Test location: Southam, Warwickshire  Charging speed: 150kW Cost 79p/kWh  We like: Location, facilities  We don't like: Confusing to use At this charging station, not far from the M40 and located in the countryside, I was struck by just how right Keith had been at the Instavolt site. This would have been a lovely place to relax with a meal deal from the forecourt shop, except that two of the eight chargers I tried wouldn't recognise my cards. Was it me? I couldn't work out which buttons to press on the charger and in which order, so I was left wondering if the cards were actually okay. I tried resetting them again but the shop had just gone offline and couldn't do transactions. I settled for a toilet assessment (clean) and a general site survey (smart and tidy). The next day I tried a different Shell Recharge, at Folly Hill, Farnham, Surrey. It couldn't have gone better. The 180kW charger (there were two) was much easier to use (plug, tap, charge) and had a clear 'Stop' button (not all chargers do). The tariff was 79p/kWh. Fastned Test location: Redbridge Park and Ride, Oxford, Oxfordshire Charging speed: Up to 300kW  Cost: 79p/kWh or 55p/kWh with 30% Gold membership discount We like: Powerful, easy-to-use chargers We don’t like: Parking rules, grubby facilities As the UK's first park and ride, this place knows how to charge and how to fine. A small sign beside each charger tells users to register their car for a free ticket. What it doesn't say is that you have 10 minutes to do so or face a £100 penalty. Eleven minutes in and I was still queuing at the pay machine... It took the shine off an otherwise seamless charging experience plug in, choose a connector on the screen, select payment method, tap and wait as your 300kW charger (one of 10) gets to work. Behind us was what looked like the UK's first public lavatory. However, the Fastned site itself was clean and tidy, with users protected by solar canopies.  The driver of a Volkswagen ID 5 was happy. "I never queue and the chargers are quick," she said. She had just paid £54 for a charge but could have saved 30% by subscribing. "I can't be bothered," she said. BP Pulse Test location: NEC Gigahub, Birmingham, West Midlands Charging speed: Up to 300kW Cost from 63p/kWh for subscribers up to 93p/kWh ‘pay as you go’ We like: Powerful, easy-to-use chargers  We don't like: Parking rules, grubby facilities This charging hub is well signed from the M42. That said, on the approach I nearly entered the long-stay car park next door, with its slow chargers. Once in the hub, notices warning drivers they would be fined for parking on the red routes reminded me that the threat of punishment is never far away.At least the chargers (30kW, 150kW and 7kW) were reasonably easy to use and backed up by instructions: press Start, choose charger and then what? I decided to plug in and then tap. It worked but some chargers require you to tap first and then plug in.  A fellow user was unfazed. "Chargers can be such a faff," he said, "but with these, the order you have to do things in seems logical." There was good weather protection, although, with it being close to going home time, most of the bays were taken. The nearby Starbucks was doing good business and the toilets were cleanish. Gridserve Test location: Electric Forecourt, Braintree, Essex  Charging speed: 360kW  Cost: 59p-85p/kWh with 25% off for holders of Gridserve Plus membership at £7.99 per month  We like: Easy to use, good facilities We don't like: It would be helpful if the totem pole displayed tariffs No trouble finding this charging station thanks to a large totem pole on the roadside advertising 10p off a kWh with the Gridserve app. The forecourt is home to 32 charging bays including 12 high-power ones sheltered by two huge solar canopies. Each bay has enough room to park side-on, handy whether your car's charge port is at the back or the front. There are also six unsheltered Tesla Superchargers to the side. Plug and tap and the EV9 was soon drawing 85kW. The refundable pre-authorisation charge was £10 compared with an average of £40. Music was piped around the forecourt and in the main building, with its shops and bookable meeting rooms. "I've been coming here for four years and never had to queue," said one user. The following day, I called into Gridserve's M4 Reading services location. It was harder to find but the chargers (uncovered) dispensed up to 350kW and the EV9 was soon gulping 93kW for the same 92p/kWh.  Ionity Test location: Double Tree Hilton, Dartford, Kent  Charging speed: Up to 350kW  Cost: 81p/kWh, 77p/kWh with Ionity app or 46p/kWh with Ionity subscription We like: Tidy and efficient  We don't like: Tricky to find, parking notices There were no signs directing me to this charging station but there were plenty warning me of a £100 fine if I broke the parking rules. Reception assured me the first two parking hours were free and I didn't have to log the EV9's registration. The charging area was clean and tidy, there was lots of room to manoeuvre my big Kia (there were only two other cars present on the 24-charger site) and the chargers and the contactless payment system worked smoothly. At 19% full, my EV9 was drawing 129kW and still doing so at 73%.  "The location is very good and it's always very quiet," said one driver. "With a subscription, I pay just 49p/kWh." There was no shelter while I hooked up but, fortunately, the weather was kind. Inside the hotel, the toilets were spotless but, at £4.25, I skipped the latte in the bar. MFG Test location: Ilford, Greater London Charging speed: 150kW  Cost: 59p/kWh (promotional summer rate until 30 September 2026, down from standard 79p) We like: Unpretentious, good customer service  We don't like: Not easy to use at first The dreaded parking notices were present at this station but this time to deter non-EV drivers.  Unlike the other sites I visited for this survey, it is by no means a major location but it is close to the busy A12 and M11. It is a classic MFG site, with just enough manoeuvring space, good weather protection and a well-stocked forecourt shop. There were four 150kW CCS chargers. However, I had to call MFG to understand how to operate a charger, which wasn't obvious (using buttons, you have to select your connector, tap, then press continue). Plugged in, my Kia drew power at around 75kWh. Later the same day, I called in at a 300kW MFG station at a Morrisons in Fleet, Hampshire, with more space and where, at 60% full, the EV9 drew an impressive 150kW. This time I knew which buttons to press. Applegreen Test location: Welcome Break, M40, Warwickshire  Charging speed: 180kW  Cost: 79p/kWh  We like: Low refundable pre-authorisation charge, reasonably easy to use  We don't like: Charging time restriction The traditional parking notice had a fresh twist here: "£100 fine if not charging in bay for longer than 10 minutes." I hoped the allowance included operating the charger, which was one of 16. Fortunately, it was a straight plug and tap. Drawing 133kW, the Kia's battery went from 79% to 92% in just nine minutes. But how to stop: tap my card? It wasn't recognised. Customer services said it happened occasionally, so just unplug. The session cost £12 a reasonable sum for 10 minutes' parking, surely? The refundable pre-authorisation charge was only £1. There were no canopies offering shelter but, as an alternative to waiting in the car, there was a Starbucks. Directions to the site were good off the motorway but soon became confusing. This was first-time EV driver Philip Major's second experience of charging. "Twice now, I've had to second guess which button to press to charge. The machines don't tell you!" he wailed.  Conclusion When it works, being able to pay contactlessly has made life easier for those EV drivers who have no allegiance to any of the charging firms and prefer to pay directly for their charge.  Of course, by not paying via a subscription app, they are missing out on sizeable tariff reductions. Meanwhile, the new generation of rapid and ultra-rapid chargers are so fast that most drivers I saw were happy to wait in their cars rather than in the local cafe killing time with a £4.50 coffee. In any case, almost without exception, the charging stations were pleasant places with clean charging cables. However, to that old complaint about range anxiety (still an issue in some parts of the country including North Yorkshire, as one Scarborough-based driver told us) must be added charger anxiety. Often during my two-day survey, I found myself worrying how easy the next charger would be to operate. A control interface common to all chargers would be a huge step forward. And then there are the parking notices. I appreciate that many sites are on third-party land and non-EV drivers must be deterred from parking in charging bays, but the signs are intimidating and create uncertainty for users simply wishing to charge their cars.

8/13/2026

It cost £150 and spent a decade in the elements; now it's time to decide this iconic hot hatch's future When you’ve left a car under a sheet on a driveway for a decade, you will probably assume that peeling back the cover will reveal an unsalvageable heap of metal.  Happily, this wasn’t the case last weekend when my dad and I uncovered his cherished Peugeot 205 GTi, parked outside a friendly neighbour’s house since 2016. He bought it back in 2003 for the grand sum of £150 – an outrageous figure when you consider that tidy 1.9 GTis regularly fetch well over a hundred times that figure today. When I was a kid, it was a cheap, practical runaround that he used for commutes and school runs.  As I got older, my dad started using it for amateur motorsport and took part in various autosolos and autotests, with me gleefully riding shotgun. It may have been getting on in years, but this little Pug was well at home on these tight, twisting courses, where its taut body control and tactile handling helped us to outshine some of the more modern modified cars we were competing against.  In the late 2000s, the 1.9-litre lump started to show its age, and the head gasket eventually gave up. It was soon replaced and the 205 was back on the road - until it failed again in more dramatic style while competing in an autosolo at Donington Park, with water pouring out the front of the engine.  Rather than mend what was clearly an expired engine, my dad sourced a second-hand lump from eBay and fitted it himself. But only a few years later, the newer XU9 engine blew, the white smoke billowing from the exhaust suggesting it too was terminally damaged.  The 205 duly sat in the garage for a few years before its space was commandeered by my 1990 Mini Cooper (cheers, dad). Unceremoniously relocated to our neighbour’s driveway, it sat parked under a cover, where it has remained for the past 10 years, hunching ever lower as its time-worn tyres gradually flattened off at the bottom.  Which brings us up to today - and for various reasons, the Peugeot now needs to be stored elsewhere, so my dad and I warily headed over to go and inspect it. Given the propensity of old French cars to rot and the sub-optimal British weather conditions it has been exposed to since 2016, we expected to find no more than a twisted, unrecognisable heap of rust that even the scrap man would turn down.  But as we carefully prised back the tarp, it became clear that we didn’t need the dustpan and brush after all, as the Pug wasn’t in as bad a condition as we had feared – far from it, in fact. Remarkably, the body is free of any terminal corrosion and won’t need any structural work. There’s a bit of surface rust on the lower wheel arches, the roof and around the windscreen, but all the important parts like the sills, boot floor and bulkhead are all in good health. Our neighbour clearly has some sort of Mediterranean microclimate going on around the side of his house.  Less happy (albeit more predictable) news is that the rear axle has seized and will need to be replaced, but these are fairly easy to source and can be picked up for less than £500. The engine will also finally need that inevitable full rebuild; the initial diagnosis is that the rubber O-ring seals that sit at the bottom of the cylinder liners have failed. We’re pretty sure the block is cracked too.  The colossal spider that greeted us when we opened the boot and the mouse that has torn the back seats to shreds (let's call it lightweighting) will both need to find new homes too.  But before we get the spanners and the Waxoyl out, there are choices to make.  Seeing as it isn't a crumbling mess and is certainly a project worthy of restoration, we could feasibly sell it on and let someone else give it a new lease of life.  My dad is tempted by the idea of turning it into a competition car for road rallies, targa rallies and hillclimbing. Of course we could go for a full nut-and-bolt restoration, but I like the idea of morphing it into a bit of a restomod, with a spruced-up engine, power steering and a Blaupunkt stereo. The cut-price Tolman treatment, if you like. So what do we do? Should we sell it on in the hope that someone else will rescue it; transform it into a stripped-out rally car for some grassroots motorsport; or explore the restomod route with OEM-plus upgrades for modern usability? Whichever we choose, this seminal hot hatch is returning to the road - and not before time. It has a decade of frantic, flat-out antics to catch up on.

8/13/2026

National Motor Museum eyes move to better-placed site before 2030 amid row over future at Montagu estate The future of one of Britain’s best-known motoring attractions has been thrown into uncertainty after the National Motor Museum announced plans to leave its long-time home at Beaulieu, with behind-the-scenes tensions over funding, governance and the museum’s long-term future emerging. The National Motor Museum Trust this week confirmed it has begun searching for a new home as the lease on its Beaulieu location approaches its end, saying a move would allow it to transform the museum, expand its educational role and better fulfil its national remit. The trust stressed that visitors will see no immediate change, the current lease having four years remaining. Meanwhile, Beaulieu Enterprises Limited, the commercial business that owns the grounds, issued a separate statement seeking to reassure visitors that the attraction will continue to operate a motor museum regardless of the trust’s decision. It said the day-to-day visitor experience will remain unchanged, motoring events will continue as planned and “a significant amount of the vehicles” on display are either owned by or on loan to the Montagu family. However, a source knowledgeable of the subject has revealed a far more complex picture behind the public statements. According to the well-placed source, the trust spent several years developing an ambitious strategy to modernise the museum and secure major investment through the National Lottery Heritage Fund. That funding was said to depend on a revised collaboration agreement between the trust and Beaulieu, including changes to the financial relationship between the two organisations. “The situation is that there was no new lease to be granted,” the source said. “And the split of gate receipts is such that the trust couldn’t continue there in a viable fashion, and they couldn’t get the lottery money without changing the fundamental structure. So they decided to move.” Autocar understands that only a very small proportion of the £27.56 Beaulieu entry fee went to the trust. The entry fee not only gives access to the motor museum but also Palace House, its gardens and Beaulieu Abbey. The source claimed the museum generates around three quarters of Beaulieu’s visitor numbers and doesn't receive a fair split of the admission income, while also alleging that negotiations over a new lease and revised commercial arrangements broke down last month. The disagreement also appears to extend to ownership of the museum’s collection. While Beaulieu has said that “a significant amount of vehicles in the museum are either on loan or owned by the Montagu family”, the source disputed that characterisation, saying: “The trust owns around 250 cars; Beaulieu owns 29.” The breakdown in relations between the two parties is also likely to result in the trust moving the National Motor Museum away from Beaulieu far sooner than the end of the current lease in 2030. However, due to the sudden split, no new location has yet been found.  The source said that any new location “needs at least 50,000 square feet” and is likely to be better geographically placed to serve more of the UK population. When contacted by Autocar, Beaulieu Enterprises disputed the claim of a sudden end to negotiations, saying "an ongoing review has been under way for some time".

8/13/2026

Cornish firm's innovative PACES platform to underpin pair of Qatar-bound EVs, developed in UK Watt Electric Vehicle Company (WEVC), winner of Autocar’s 2026 Innovation Award, has struck a deal with JTA, a major Qatari-based investor, to build two models in Qatar’s first dedicated EV manufacturing plant. The new factory will initially build a new passenger car and a medium-sized delivery van along the lines of WEVC’s own recently developed eCV1. It is expected to be ready for manufacturing to start in early 2028.  Production will run initially at around 5000 units a year but will expand considerably beyond that. Vehicle design and engineering for the project will be led by WEVC, from new premises it plans to open soon in the Midlands, in addition to bases it also occupies in Cornwall and Worcestershire.  Both of the initial Qatari vehicles, and others to be launched later, will be made entirely in Qatar but based on WEVC’s highly versatile PACES aluminium skateboard chassis, which uses a series of patented extrusions and joining pieces to greatly simplify jigging and slash manufacturing costs. WEVC founder and CEO Neil Yates said the Qatari deal will help accelerate his company’s existing plan to establish its own EV manufacturing capability in the UK and will be the forerunner of similar satellite operations in the US and Asia.  “We want to be a partner in local manufacturing operations around the world,” he said. “Our way of making cars is being seen as a very effective way of coping with geopolitical difficulties like the rise of tariff barriers. It’s also very cost-efficient because it requires low capital expenditure."

8/13/2026

Rear axles are one of the most complex assemblies in a Porsche – and still require a human touch How cars are assembled may not be the first thing that springs to mind when entering a car showroom but it might further down the line if unreliability strikes. Robots have played a part in production since the early 1970s and ad agency Collett Dickenson Pearce broke new ground in the UK in 1979 with what became a famous TV commercial for the Fiat Strada, rejoicing in the tagline: 'Handbuilt by Robots.' Porsche has, perhaps unknowingly, echoed that sentiment at the Leipzig plant where it produces the Macan and Panamera, using robots for checking the rear axle assembly while retaining a human touch. Rear axles are complicated and the type of complexity varies depending on whether the axle is passive, as in front-wheel drive, or 'live', as in rear-wheel or four-wheel drive. EVs add another layer of detail with rear-mounted drive motors and associated electronics. However unglamorous they may be, rear axles are precision components that play a crucial role in driving dynamics and comfort. They're one of the most complex assemblies in a Porsche, says the maker, and once assembled they undergo thorough checking before being fitted to a car. Porsche has developed the 'automated end-of-line inspection' for the job that combines human expertise with robot assistance. Robots handle the repetitive inspection tasks, scanning the entire axle assembly, identifying connectors, measuring distances and checking components are installed correctly based on stored information. Each inspection point is photographed and analysed and the image data stored for three years, so if anything goes wrong, the condition of the axle at the time of its production can be checked. The effectiveness of such validation work during the manufacture of a new car will have a bearing on how reliable it's going to be and it's a key part of the quality control process. Yet in most cases, what those checks look like is largely invisible to the buyer. Porsche says this system was developed during series production and each inspection point was deliberately "manipulated" to ensure faults would be corrected and the number of false alarms reduced. If the image processing system incorrectly flags an error, the system is fine-tuned to make sure it doesn't happen again. Despite the march of AI, Porsche still considers humans indispensable in this role. Human technicians work in sync with the robots and perform the jobs that, says Porsche, "require experience and human sensitivity. Not everything can be checked visually and, for example, the robotic system is unable to pick up a rubbing noise from a brake disc. So although much of car production is automated it's perhaps comforting to know there are some aspects of a new car for which only a good old-fashioned 'spanner check' will do.

8/13/2026

Mercedes CEO offers his guarantees that Autocar readers will love new hardcore V8 AMG The forthcoming Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series will offer "insane" performance, according to Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius - who has given his personal guarantee that Autocar readers will love it. Due to be revealed next year before going on sale in 2028, the new supercar is a road-legal twin of the next-generation Mercedes-AMG GT3 racer, likely to be powered by a highly tuned version of the firm's new flat-plane-crank V8. In its conception and positioning, the GT Black Series closest rival will be Toyota's new track-honed GR GT supercar. Mercedes reserves the Black Series badge, first used in 2006 for an extreme iteration of the SLK 55 AMG, for its most hardcore performance road cars. While it hasn't confirmed the engine or performance details, AMG has said the latest Black Series car will produce significantly more power and torque than the 603bhp and 627lb ft of the current GT 63 Pro. Speaking exclusively to Autocar, Källenius said: "Sometimes you must allow the engineers to go crazy, and the next car like that is in the making." Pressed for details, he added: "The next AMG Black Series will be insane, and it will be something completely different that nobody expects. And I can guarantee that Autocar readers will love it. You have my personal guarantee. "I know I'm talking to a constituency that knows what they're talking about, and I have full confidence we won't disappoint." While Källenius wouldn't give any further details of the project, he noted that the new flat-plane-crank V8 engine was a key part of its investment strategy in combustion technology, saying: "We're going to need that for years to come, especially for sports cars." He revealed that he personally owns a V8 SL and so appreciates the appeal of such engines for enthusiasts. The push to fit the mildly hybridised V8 into AMG models in place of plug-in hybrid powertrains is a notable change in strategy. Källenius insisted the firm will continue to develop PHEV systems, which can be used to boost efficiency in some cars and power in others. But he said there would still be demand for non-hybrids from people who "prefer the lower weight..." He linked the spirit of the forthcoming GT Black Series to the AMG One hypercar, which essentially put the V6 turbo hybrid powertrain from Mercedes 2015 title-winning Formula 1 racer onto the road. Källenius joked that "we should have been put in an asylum" for approving production of that car but added: "I'm very happy we did, because it will be one of those moments in time that a bunch of engineers received an impossible task and found a way to do it. For enthusiasts, that will be one of those milestones for decades to come." You can read the full exclusive interview with Ola Källenius exclusively online on our Apple News+ channel. You can also read it in this week’s Autocar magazine, which is available on news stands or as a digital edition.

8/13/2026

Our list of the very best load-lugging wagons you can buy new today, with something to suit all budgets Seven of the 10 best-selling cars in the UK are SUVs, and their dominance over the UK car buying public only looks set to continue.  But what if there was an alternative that meant you didn't have to bow down to current automotive trends – another type of car that offered the same level of versatility and family capability? Step forward the estate car. While their popularity has waned in recent years, wagons, tourers and shooting brakes – whatever you like to call them – still have a strong presence in the UK. Alongside their load-lugging capabilities and everyday versatility, they offer something high-riding SUVs can’t match: a lower centre of gravity for a more engaging drive. Pleasingly, and much like in the SUV market, there’s a diverse range of powertrains and silhouettes to choose from. You can have anything from a soft-riding cruiser for seamless long-distance travel to a performance derivative with hot-hatch-baiting performance and handling.  While the market is rich with choice, our expert team of road testers – whose job it is to evaluate and scrutinise every new car on sale – believe the Skoda Superb Estate is the best wagon you can buy today. Its varied selection of powertrains, vast boot and pleasing dynamics makes it one of most complete cars you can buy.  But there’s a plethora of talented models all vying for your attention, so read on as we rank the ten best estate cars on sale in the UK today.  The Best estate cars at a glance Rank Model Starting Price (OTR) Boot Capacity (Seats Up / Down) Autocar Rating 1 Skoda Superb Estate £38,135 690L / 1920L 4.5 / 5 2 BMW 3 Series Touring £44,625 500L / 1510L 4.5 / 5 3 Volkswagen ID 7 Tourer £52,240 605L / 1714L 4.5 / 5 4 Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo £86,500 446L (+84L frunk) / 1212L 4.5 / 5 5 Toyota Corolla Touring Sports £31,500 598L / 1606L 4.0 / 5

8/12/2026

Many vehicles and artefacts to leave Montagu estate – and its monorail – in 2030, but museum won't close The National Motor Museum is searching for a new home after 60 years in the grounds of the Beaulieu Estate in Hampshire - but the site itself will continue to operate as a motoring museum. The NMM Trust has announced that it won't renew its lease at Beaulieu when it comes to the end of its 60-year term in the coming years and has begun the hunt for a new site for its collection. The Trust, founded in 1970 to take over the management of what was previously a small collection run by estate owner Lord Montagu, said the move is part of a "long-term strategy to secure the future" of the museum. Feature - Hidden gems: A peak behind the scenes at Beaulieu "This strategy is focused on reimagining and reinvigorating the museum, engaging with new generations of motoring enthusiasts and diverse communities, while developing and preserving the Designated collection for generations to come," it added. The Trust and the Montagu family, who still own the Beaulieu Estate, have discussed investment and redevelopment plans in line with that strategy but have concluded that the best option is to relocate the collection. The NMM plans to find a "suitable new home" that will allow it to "share the stories of motoring heritage more widely than ever before". It also plans to develop a training centre for heritage engineering apprenticeships.  The collection currently comprises around 285 vehicles. However, the Beaulieu Estate said it owns "a significant amount", which "will continue to stay" at the Hampshire site. The Estate said motoring will remain "very much a part of our identity" as it develops its offering as a tourist destination – with "a comparable range of experiences to what people enjoy today". It emphasised that there will be no changes to its events calendar, which includes the popular Beaulieu Autojumble in September. Beaulieu "intends to continue to operate a motor museum in the future, as it has for over 70 years", despite the NMM's move, it said. However, the NMM itself will vacate the distinctive purpose-built building it has occupied since 1972, which is famous for the monorail that passes through, allowing visitors to see the collection from above.  The collection currently includes a wide range of TV and film cars, land speed record breakers, Formula 1 racing legends and some of the oldest 'motorised carriages' in existence.  It also welcomed more than five million visitors to the 'World of Top Gear' exhibition from 2009 to 2024, showcasing some of the most famous vehicles created and used on the BBC show. As well as vehicles, the NMM holds an expansive archive of photographs, books and other automobilia that chart the history of the British automotive industry – totalling more than 1.9 million items.  Robert MacGregor, chair of the NMM Trust, said: "We are sad that the National Motor Museum will be leaving Beaulieu but are at the same time very excited about this once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the museum for the future. "We want to thank the Montagu family for founding the Trust in 1970 and for their continued support as the museum finds a new home and embarks on the next stage of its journey.  "A new home can refresh our whole approach, enable us to make the collection more accessible, expand our educational and community impact and ensure Britain’s motoring story remains relevant.” The Trust's lease expires in 2030, until which time it can continue to operate as it does today. It said visitors to Beaulieu will see no change in the meantime.

8/12/2026

The JCB Hydromax shows the publicity gains of chasing a land speed record – and manufacturers should take note Getting to spend a few days on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah watching Andy Green and the JCB Hydromax team set a new 406.320mph land speed record for a hydrogen-powered vehicle was a real privilege – and it provided plenty of takeaways. First, land speed records are incredibly cool, one of the few areas of motorsport that isn’t overburdened by regulations and still encourages boundary pushing. Second, Bonneville is an incredible place, simultaneously flat, featureless and other-worldly yet also totally alive and constantly changing. And third, watching land speed records live is amazing but isn’t the easiest of spectating experiences because the car is going straight and you have to stand reaallllly far away.  Another thought occurred to me as I watched JCB set this piece of hydrogen history: given the increasing focus on electrification, isn’t it bizarre that the fastest zero-emission car – in terms of tailpipe emissions, at least – in history is powered not by electricity but by a hydrogen-combustion machine built by an engineering firm and powered by two converted digger engines? Seriously, why aren’t EV manufacturers queueing up with their own land speed record challengers? While JCB has just pushed the hydrogen mark past 400mph, the current official FIA land speed record for a battery-electric vehicle is 341.264mph, set by the Venturi Buckeye Bullet 3 way back in 2016. That machine offered close to 3000bhp from four motors (one powering each wheel) and eight lithium ion battery packs (a total capacity was never disclosed). Given the advances in electric technology – and the number of manufacturers pushing development of it – in the past 10 years, that decade-old record, set by an unusual collaboration between oddball Monaco-based manufacturer Venturi (now focusing on lunar rovers, which seems a very limited market) and Ohio State University, feels like seriously low-hanging fruit for a committed manufacturer looking to showcase its mastery of electric powertrain technology. It’s not that much quicker than the 309mph the production-based Yangwang U9 Xtreme has reached. Clearly, an electric land speed record car faces some challenges: it will be heavy, because it will need a lot of batteries. The Buckeye Bullet 3 weighed 3.6 tonnes, with the batteries accounting for 1.6 tonnes of that. But with aerodynamic freedom and more efficient motors, that can surely be overcome. After all, chasing aerodynamic efficiency to improve range is a key focus of many EV manufacturers.  Another challenge is that the FIA rules dictate vehicles must make two runs within 60 minutes on a measured course, with the average speed of the two runs taken for the record. That turnaround is challenging for most land speed record teams, but particularly problematic if you have to recharge an EV’s batteries. Predictably, there aren’t any chargers on the Bonneville Salt Flats (although the Pilot Flying J petrol station in nearby Wendover has a shiny bank of 350kW chargers). But that is surely an opportunity for a manufacturer to showcase technology to overcome such challenges. BYD is rightly proud of its superfast Flash charging, and with a big enough portable battery store, it could surely top up a car in time. Nio could use a record challenger to highlight its battery-swapping tech. Or maybe a firm such as Mercedes-Benz could showcase its efficient motors to prove you can make do with smaller batteries. Basically an electric land speed record bid could be used to develop and showcase technology that is relevant to electric road cars. But let’s be frank: that’s not the main reason for doing it. JCB’s engineers were pretty honest that, despite using two heavily upgraded hydrogen-combustion production engines, it won’t learn much from the Hydromax that it can apply to future alternatively fuelled diggers. But that doesn’t really matter, because it was a fabulous publicity stunt that has received extensive coverage from both specialist and national media outlets. Even if it doesn’t make JCB’s diggers or hydrogen engines better, Hydromax has drawn attention to the British company – and often maligned, still controversial hydrogen technology. You can, of course, argue that land speed records don’t really matter: going fast in a straight line on a salt flat is a very specific skill. And you can argue that it won’t improve electric technology: after all, plenty of EVs can go very fast but fall short when it comes to handling in corners. But it surely wouldn’t take much for a committed manufacturer to make an electric slipstreamer capable of comfortably topping 341mph and reaping the publicity benefits. The electric record is there for the taking: why aren’t manufacturers racing to claim it?

8/12/2026

Customers are paying more for cars but the debt keeps piling higher, forcing drastic action Aston Martin has often been in the news for the wrong reasons in recent years, and this time it’s for the secretive terms of a fresh £550 million loan that gives special rights to the new lenders not available to those already on the hook for the firm’s £1.5 billion debt pile. How is Aston Martin not able to escape the debt doom loop? Its current cars are acknowledged to be some of the best it has ever produced, but the nature of such a cash-hungry business makes it difficult to escape the financial hamster wheel. For as long as I’ve been reporting on Aston, its executives have been talking of the need to build to order and reduce excess stock at dealerships – but that’s easier said than done. The temptation to keep the production line running is strong, given the benefits to both efficiency and cash generation. Sales to dealers (known as wholesales, the only type of sales that Aston reports) turn cars into cash quickly, thus oiling the money machine. But if those cars hang around on forecourts, they require discounts and other incentives to shift, reducing average selling prices. That problem becomes even more acute when Aston brings out frequent upgrades (vital in the luxury car business), because this further reduces the appeal of the old stock. On Aston’s recent first-half earnings call, CEO Adrian Hallmark said its “disciplined approach” to balancing production and demand was working, citing a rise in retail sales (sales to customers) against wholesales, but he admitted the firm undershot its stock clear-out target by 70-80 cars, citing a sticky number of DBX SUVs at US dealers. Aston has dialled back its sales ambitions from 6412 cars in 2022 and this year is likely to match 2025’s figure of 5448, said Hallmark. However, given the six-month figure stood at 2331, that applies a lot of pressure to sales executives in the second half of the year. Aston leans heavily on specials like the Valhalla mid-engined supercar that typically are built to order for much higher prices. The car boosted the firm’s overall average selling price to £241,000 in the first half of the year, up 17%, while that for its ‘core’ models slipped 5% to £182,000, because of those sales incentives on old stock. Despite customers paying more, Aston still lost money, piling the debt mountain yet higher.