Autocar RSS Feed

My 70-year-old V8 Chevy 350 is easier to live with than a Ford Focus

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0100

This heavily modified supercharged Small-block also proves patience is a virtue

Elliot Florio has been waiting rather a long time to own a supercharged, two-door '55 Chevy 350 sedan.

"I'd been looking for one for what felt like forever," he says. "Since I was 19, in fact. Finally, I bought this one a few weeks ago from a guy in the owners' club. I'd waited months for him to offer it for sale. He'd had work done to it, and it finally came my way."

An hour or so before we met, I'd followed the old Chevy, finished in Primer Gray, along the A3, hoping it might be coming to the car meet. I was impressed by its braking power when the owner slowed for the exit, but then the car disappeared with a low rumble from its exhaust. And now here it was again.

"I took a wrong turn," explains Elliot. "Yes, the brakes are good, aren't they? Originally they would have been drums, but they've been replaced with discs, which really bring it up short. Old Chevys are popular with drag racers, so it has a stronger front end from a '74 Camaro, a back axle from a '72 Camaro and a four-speed manual gearbox. The supercharged, small-block, 350-cubic-inch V8 produces 400bhp and has a lot of grunt."

When I first saw it on the A3, something else that impressed me was that sinister, hunched look the Chevy has and which is typical of old US muscle cars. "It's a copy of the car in the 1971 cult film Two-Lane Blacktop, where two street racers, driving a '55 Chevy 150 drag car, challenge locals to race them," explains Elliot. "Mine has hydraulic brakes and steering, while theirs probably didn't, but it's just as hairy and a bit back-endy in the wet."

The Primer Gray finish looks and feels a little rough, but there's no rust. "It's all good underneath, too," says Elliot. "Unfortunately, at the front the inner wings have been cut out, so on wet days like today water gets all over the engine bay. However, it means there's a lot of room to work in.

"Most spares are easy to come by; everything is online. There are even sites that just deal in parts for '55 Chevys. It and the '57 are still very popular - people love the shape. If they can't find exactly what they're looking for, owners fit Camaro parts instead."

This Chevy is not Elliot's first American car. He's owned Mustangs, Pontiac Firebirds and Model Ts. He says: "I grew up in the motor trade and love American motors. They're mechanically very simple, and they're different enough here that everyone looks at you as you drive by. At home I have a regular 1923 Model T sedan, but I had to sell my Model A hot rod to buy this Chevy, which cost me £25,000."

Elliot's daily driver is another American car, kind of: a Ford Focus. That said, he's barely touched it since acquiring the Chevy, which, come rain or shine, but mostly rain, he drives nearly every day. Insurance costs him £300 with Adrian Flux. "I can live with that," says Elliot.

"Considering how much car you get, how plentiful and reasonably priced parts are and what a great experience it is to drive one, a well-bought American car is a lot better value for money and easier to own than many younger European classics."

Why 2026's best electric car is the easygoing Skoda Elroq

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0100

Simple, reasonably priced and perfect for everyday life, the Elroq is a star

Remember when new electric cars were all huge, had a motor each end and bristled with more complexity than you could shake a stick at?

Well, the Skoda Elroq, our favourite electric car on today's market, is emphatically not that and is all the better for it.

Of course, the version we've chosen does have the bigger '85' battery and the meatiest, albeit single, 282bhp motor to drive its rear wheels, which pushes the price closer to £40,000 than the £32,000 where the base model starts.

But there's a pleasant simplicity about the whole car that goes with it being based on the Volkswagen Group's now well-developed MEB EV platform, just like the Volkswagen ID 3 and Cupra Born.

That big battery means you get a cool 350 miles of range and normal driving means 300-320 of this is honest-to-God available - at this time of the year, at least.

The Elroq 85 can turn a 0-62mph acceleration run in 6.3sec, which makes it fast in 4.5m-long crossover terms. If you're the type who gets into impromptu roundabout or motorway on-ramp jousts (we don't recommend it), you will find you have a strong hand, its quick response being just as useful as its ability to gather speed.

Yet it's the Elroq's cosseting ride and quiet cruising that is its strongest suit. This is a thoroughly enjoyable car to drive calmly. The suspension is supple and just about perfectly damped. It absorbs ripples that would annoy in other cars, yet its body remains mostly unruffled in all but the most lumpy conditions. Try hard and you can induce a bit of body roll, but it's a fool's errand.

The car is composed and the steering and accelerator response make it unfailingly easy to drive. This is one of those subtle EV mile-eaters: quiet, smooth, effective.

Skoda took quite a bit of time to launch a decent array of EVs, preferring to learn from others who wanted to rush to market. There could hardly be a better advert for the patient approach than the perfectly positioned, everyday-life-enabling Elroq.

Why motorsport is more than marketing for Ford Racing

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 06:00:00 +0100

It’s not just the fact that a mainstream brand is competing in 35 global series that makes this division so remarkable

Ford has been racing since before it officially existed, but when CEO Jim Farley says "motorsport has never been more important to the firm", it's not hyperbole.

And it's not just Farley's infectious enthusiasm about racing that makes this clear: it's that, while we're talking in a plush, soundproofed motorhome, he has to raise his voice to be heard above the roar of a 5.0-litre naturally aspirated Ford V8 engine at full pelt.

It's late March: tens of thousands of spectators have crammed into the Sebring International Raceway to watch some of the world's finest sports car drivers battle on the Florida circuit's unforgiving concrete for 12 intense hours. Today Farley has his work cap on: he's supporting the works Mustang GT3s making that distinctive V8 roar and has various meetings scheduled as Ford prepares its new LMDh hypercar project to return to endurance racing's top class.

It's that commitment to competition, 125 years since Henry Ford first raced one of his own creations, that has prompted us to recognise Ford Racing with our Motorsport Award. Ford supports 34 global championships, spanning everything from the Dakar Rally to Formula 1 - and that commitment is only growing.

"We've switched from thinking about motorsport as a marketing activity to really driving excellence in our products," says Farley. "Motorsport at Ford has never been looked at in that way before, other than by Henry Ford. The first couple of machines he produced had the philosophy of taking the best of everything from a racing car and making it affordable. You can make a great business out of winning and improving your product through engineering."

But while Farley is making racing a business, business isn't the entire reason he is at Sebring on this occasion - and that's why Autocar has come here to speak to him. Because yesterday he wasn't Jim Farley, Ford CEO, but Jim Farley, amateur racer, competing against a pack of hungry rivals in the Ford Mustang Challenge.

Farley is a proper motorsport fan, a passion honed in his youth when he befriended Luigi Chinetti, then the US importer for Ferrari, and later working for 1961 F1 champion Phil Hill in a restoration shop. He has competed at Goodwood in a GT40 and also races a Lola T298. For Farley it's escapism, his equivalent of yoga: "When I'm in the car racing, I don't think of anything else: a nuclear bomb could go off and I'd never know."

He describes driving a race car as "humbling, especially when you don't have a lot of time", adding: "I have to get into the car and get up to speed quickly, and I have to be safe: I can't be the CEO of Ford and bump someone off at the start. I can't win because of my engine, because they will say 'he's got a special engine'. There are a lot of constraints, and that keeps the pressure on me to be good in the car and have fun."

Farley can't really escape being Ford's CEO, then, and notes that "a lot of CEOs would never do it, but it humbles me". Still, he says there's a thrill to competing, "like in the business world". At Sebring, a technical issue meant he started both races at the rear of the grid. "Sometimes you have to start at the back," he says. "When I started at Ford, we were a $4 stock."

Ford isn't immune from current market pressures, but the firm is in a better place now than when Farley took over (a $16 stock at the time of writing) - and Ford Racing is playing a key role in that recovery. Previously known as Ford Performance, the division encompasses all of the firm's motorsport projects and its performance cars, such as the Mustang Dark Horse and the Raptor line of off-road vehicles.

Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Racing, has been with the division since 2013, having previously worked as a road car engineer. He explains that the "job has changed a lot", it having grown from a small team managing motorsport projects to a group of hundreds developing racing and performance cars.

"Sometimes Ford has leaned into racing for marketing and sometimes for tech transfer," he says, "but today we're truly doing both. We're learning and we're marketing, and we're really treating Ford Racing as a business. It's not just spending money to race Bronco Raptors on the Baja 1000, it's doing that with engineers who will take that experience, come to the office on Monday and make the new [road] Raptor better."

Rushbrook has some interested bosses: alongside Farley, chairman Bill Ford and chief operating officer Kumar Galhotra are avid racing fans, and he works with Bill's son Will, who serves as general manager of Ford Racing.

Don't think that gives Rushbrook carte blanche, though: "It's good, but it's certainly not a blank cheque. Jim holds us accountable for every dollar we spend, to make sure we're not just getting out on track but that we're learning from it, telling the right story to the right people, and that we're in it to win it."

Farley adds: "As an amateur racer who has wasted some of my own money on motorsport, I'm a pretty tough critic: I'm more demanding than someone who isn't a racer, because I know how much you could waste and I know what it takes to win."

Rushbrook jokes that "I don't have to wait for my annual review to know whether we're winning or losing", especially since he's in a group text chat with Farley and Galhotra to update them on results each weekend: "They don't want to read about it on social media, they want to know in real time."

Ford Racing's activities are largely split into four quadrants: Mustangs, stretching from the American Nascar and Australian Supercars series through various customer projects; off road, ranging from stock events up to the Dakar Rally; demonstrator vehicles, such as the recent electric Transit Supervan; and flagship projects, such as its F1 partnership with Red Bull and its forthcoming LMDh hypercar programme.

Broadly, Ford supports customer programmes at the lower levels, giving more manufacturer support as it goes up the ladder. It runs flagship projects (Dakar, F1 and Le Mans) in-house, working with partners such as Red Bull and M-Sport. Farley cites the decision to support Red Bull's powertrain programme, rather than buy a team, as many rival companies do, as one example of Ford's business-based approach.

"We're engaged in our programmes at different levels of technical depth," says Rushbrook. "Sometimes it's an engine, sometimes it's a whole vehicle."

Ford Racing is also structured so that knowledge is transferred between projects, into performance cars and then the wider company.

"We're organised to have instantaneous transfer of knowledge and experience," says Rushbrook. "I have a powertrain team, a vehicle engineering team and a functions team, and we have the ability within those teams to move people back and forth.

"A great example is our GT3 engine: M-Sport builds it for us, but we did all the design in-house. We're using that knowledge to work on future engine architectures that will be in Ford Racing products coming to dealerships - and that knowledge is going into the hypercar engine too."

Ford's global reach across 35 categories may be huge, but it is selective. So how does the firm pick where to compete?

"People think 'oh, they just race everywhere', but actually it's super-disciplined," says Farley. "We have a strategy board, including Bill, myself, Mark and the leaders of the company. We come together every quarter and treat it like a business. We know where we want to go as a company and we work backwards on the series we need to be in to get there."

Farley adds that "there's a lot of things going on in Europe that I would love to talk to you about but I can't, because it's very competitive" - but assures me that "you will see this conversation play out in the next four or five years and go that's what he was talking about."

He continues: "In Europe we have a very specific direction to beat the Chinese, and motorsport will be mission-critical to that, and it probably won't be what people think. We have picked that strategy considering manufacturing, product and brand. We always say: 'Will racing make our core products better?' If the answer is yes, we will spend the money."

Farley is true to his word: since speaking to him, the thrust of his argument has become clear: Ford has revealed plans for a new wave of European-focused cars that will have "rally-bred" design and dynamics - and his comments now give extra context to suggest that won't be a marketing gimmick. And it also shows how the famously fast-moving world of motorsport can help companies like Ford to act at 'China speed'.

"Motorsport used to feel like a lot faster than our industry, but now the Chinese have sped everything up and we all have to work at motorsports speed," he says. "This is normal now. But motorsports for so many years was an extra: they were different people not integrated into the core. We're not looking at that any more. The revolution is changing the model."

It's a model that's working, turning motorsport into a sustainable business while ensuring that the passion for it infuses the whole company.

"We want to be in motorsport from the grass roots up to F1," says Rushbrook. "There are very few series we don't participate in, and we're in them for different reasons - but always the right reasons. It's working really well for us, on the same pillars Henry Ford had back in the day."

Why steering wheels should always be round, not square

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0100

Audi had more than 100 steering wheel designs – soon it will have just five, all round

We need to abandon the gimmick and return to the only shape that actually works: a circle

I have an affliction that, when I begin to think about how difficult it is to find a pleasing steering wheel in a new car, Feargal Sharkey's 1985 hit A Good Heart begins to play on repeat in my head - only with 'wheel' replacing 'heart', of course.

I've learned to live with it as something as inevitable as getting into a new car and being faced with an unnaturally awkward primary control surface – one that routinely changes position from where you last held it. Owing to it, y'know, not being round.

I still can't pinpoint the exact moment that un-round steering 'wheels' (I'll use the term even though I suspect it isn't grammatically accurate) began to be a thing. The 'quartic' steering wheel was so widely ridiculed when it featured on the 1973 Austin Allegro that the industry gave up on them for a while, and I kind of think that, with the widespread adoption of power steering in the years that followed, the best steering wheels were created then too: small, with modest spoke and rim sizes, perhaps even deeply dished on something sporty.

I wonder which particular wheel was 'peak wheel'? Do write in.

It was probably before the first airbags appeared, because some early bagged wheels were big fat shockers, but manufacturers got to grips with those relatively briskly too, compressing the bags down so that they took up not much more space than a conventional steering wheel boss. Buttons have increased spoke width, which isn't optimum for vehicle control, because it reduces the amount of rim available to grip but is probably worth the sacrifice for the increased convenience.

What I find (much) less forgivable is the idea that a steering wheel doesn't need to be nearly round or that a wildly alternative shape is somehow superior. I understand that in racing cars, where access is difficult so you might want to flatten the bottom, and in single-seaters, where a round wheel could protrude into the air flow and you will only need to hold the wheel at a quarter to three because the steering rack is so direct, a squared wheel with sculpted grips is preferable. Necessary, in fact.

But in a road car, even one with such a direct steering ratio that there are only two turns between locks, any wheel that isn't nearly round is, to be blunt, ergonomically stupid. Drivers should not be required to look at the steering wheel as they're driving. They shouldn't have to guess or gauge or estimate where the steering wheel rim is while they're turning it. Such a shape adds, even at a semi-conscious level, another thing to think about, increasing a driver's cognitive load, like feeling for a light switch while walking into a darkened room, at a time when a car should be making things as easy as possible.

But now some new things are happening - some encouraging, others not. The Luce has a far more round wheel than other recent Ferraris and Audi's newish CEO Gernot Döllner recently told me that while Audi has 100(!) different steering wheel designs, "none of them is any good". By 2030, he said, it will have five, "and they will all be round". This is good news.

Not everything is good news. The coming of steer-by-wire, as in the new Lexus RZ, brought with it a yoke, which I hated. Tesla offered one for a while too. And there's to be an upcoming Peugeot with a nearly square 'wheel, which I have tried a prototype of and also disliked. The thinking is that, as in a racing car, if you don't need to turn the wheel more than 180deg. you don't need to move your hands from quarter to three.

The difference being that spending four hours on the M6 isn't the same as doing a stint at Silverstone. You may well want to drape a hand elsewhere on the wheel to relax your muscles while cruising in a straight line, but these controls won't let you. They feel to me like 3D films: an industry's attempt to zhuzh up something that didn't need it and which was asked for by approximately zero customers.

I try not to have too many hills to die on, but I honestly think that designing a steering wheel that isn't round is almost as nonsensical as a road wheel that isn't round.

Forget supercars: Morgan Supersport is the ultimate dream machine

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0100

A 335bhp BMW straight-six, Nitron suspension and gorgeous styling make driving this a public service

The Morgan Supersport isn't one for categorisation. We knew early on that this would be one of our favourite cars of the year, but which award to give it?

'Best low-volume curio' seemed too niche and damning with faint praise for a car that, unlike many of its predecessors, has genuine performance and capability to be considered as a serious sports car.

Thanks to the 335bhp BMW straight six, Nitron suspension, a limited-slip differential, sophisticated traction control and new-found chassis rigidity, you don't have to make any excuses for it.

At the same time, 'future classic' seemed a bit too obvious. You might argue that it's a classic in its own time.

'Best sports car', then? In purely objective terms the Porsche 911 is still the more capable and versatile car, even if exactly that capability and versatility that let it appeal to a wide range of buyers also mean it appeals slightly less to some specific buyers.

For them, there is the Supersport. It has certain less tangible qualities that make it irresistible to us. First, just look at it. Most performance cars draw attention, but none gets as much as a Morgan and the extraordinary thing is that all of it is positive. As such, driving a Morgan almost counts as a public service.

But mostly it's a service to yourself. Getting comfortable in the snug cockpit and looking out over the sculpted wings is enough to make you feel good about life.

Starting the engine and going for a drive is further escapism. There's character here - in the pedal weights, the noises, the feeling of sitting on the back axle - but also plenty of sophistication. The steering is precise and full of feel, and the supple but well-damped suspension is ideally suited to British B-roads.

This Morgan doesn't have the profile of a Lamborghini or Ferrari, but it is a dream car without a shadow of a doubt, one that makes you dream of a friendlier world with more beautiful things in it and plenty of empty, sinuous roads.

How Skoda became Europe's second biggest car brand

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Skoda’s CEO shares his secrets to rapid growth, record sales and EV prosperity

It says it all about the winner of our Outstanding Leader award that in between being interviewed and having his portrait taken for this feature, he jumps up from his seat to help move furniture out of the way, set up light stands and choose backdrops.

Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer is only too happy to lend a hand - and has an especially chipper outlook when we meet him at the Czech brand's museum in Mladá Boleslav, on the eve of the announcement that it sold a colossal 223,500 cars in Europe in the first quarter of 2026. That makes it not just the region's second-biggest brand, after Volkswagen, but also one of its fastest-growing, having climbed eight places in just four years.

Once he has checked that our photographer is happy with the set-up of the room and told us that he generously rearranged his afternoon to make more time for our interview, Zellmer takes a second to humbly reflect on these fantastic achievements.

"We have 17% sales growth in a market that does not grow. Our turnover is up by 9% but our profit is up by 21%," he beams. "We're firing on all cylinders. When I say it's easier to be relaxed if you're successful, you're successful if you have a resilient business model in these super-challenging times and a great team to push the company forward."

News of Skoda's rise up the European sales charts was accompanied by a near-doubling in its EV sales and a healthy 17% uptick in sales in the fiercely competitive Indian market - hugely commendable achievements each that can be at least partly attributed to Zellmer's leadership style and the corporate culture he promotes.

He gives the distinct impression of a man at once entirely comfortable in such an influential role yet equally humble in his steadfast unwillingness to take it for granted. He may head up one of the world's biggest-selling car makers, with more than 40,000 people in his employ across more than 100 countries worldwide, but he doesn't revel in unchecked authority or indulge in the sort of unyielding dogmatism you might expect of someone in such a lofty position.

Far from it. Fundamental to his style of management is his willingness to listen, learn and be educated, a mindset that fosters a much more collaborative (and consequently more productive) environment in board meetings and essentially means things get done quicker and to a higher standard.

"One of my biggest drivers is curiosity," he explains. "It really keeps me going. Curiosity is almost like a battery that keeps delivering energy to learn more, to know more, to ask more. If you have to force yourself to learn something, it's hard, but if you're interested and want to know and ask questions, it's easier."

German-born Zellmer's passion for discovery and experimentation was a big factor in him taking the Skoda role in the first place. He looks back on his long stint running Porsche in the US as "probably the best job you can have" but says that after 23 years with the sports car specialist the novelty was starting to wear off ("I think I saw seven generations of 911 in my time") and making the switch to a mass-market brand was the perfect opportunity to try something new.

That opportunity came in 2020, when he was invited back to Germany to oversee sales and marketing for Volkswagen by then Volkswagen Group boss Herbert Diess - a role that came with a dramatically different remit and its own towering stack of challenges, particularly given the automotive industry was locked in a fierce battle for survival as the Covid pandemic raged globally.

Not that Zellmer was particularly daunted by the prospect, his easy-going outlook instead manifesting in a commitment to give it a good go even if, in his characteristic humility, he wasn't entirely sure that he had the right set of skills.

"Herbert asked me: Klaus, can you even do volume?" he remembers. "I said: 'I don't know. Seriously, I can't give you an answer. I will find out if I have the ingredients to be able to do that, and I'm more than happy to give everything I have.' And I did."

Didn't he just? In Zellmer's only full year in the position, Volkswagen navigated one of the most turbulent periods in automotive history to limit sales losses to a relatively bearable 8% and finish 2021 as Europe's best-selling car brand, shifting almost as many units as runners-up Toyota and Peugeot combined. Just as importantly, Volkswagen's EV sales roughly doubled at a time when other mainstream brands could only dream of such growth, and it stayed on course to deliver a targeted healthy uptick in margins.

Even if making the switch from a premium brand to one of the world's biggest sellers was initially "like drinking from the fire hose" in terms of how much he had to learn, Zellmer's input had a massive positive impact on Volkswagen's fortunes. Small wonder that a chance to jump up another rung on the ladder soon presented itself.

He remembers: "When they asked me [to take over Skoda], normally you have to pretend a little bit and say 'I'll sleep on it', but I immediately said: 'Yes, I'll do it. That sounds super-interesting.'"

You can't help being reminded of the old cliché about dogs looking like their owners when you speak to Zellmer. He may be relatively new to the Skoda fray, having spent the bulk of his career in the premium segment, but in his accessibility, sense of humour, logical approach and all-round everyman appeal, he could not better embody the principles of the brand he leads. If Skoda made a man, he would be a lot like this.

These are attributes that translate into a pragmatic and collaborative style of management. Zellmer explains that his approach to team leadership is essentially to treat his colleagues as he would like to be treated and to open the floor for everyone to contribute ideas and suggestions. He never shies away from voicing his own opinion in a meeting but encourages everyone else to adopt the same mindset, in order to ensure a variety of voices and opinions go into every important decision.

This ethos is emblematic of a dramatic shift in corporate culture that has redefined the automotive industry in recent years, the authoritarian ways of old being banished in favour of a new generation of amenable and co-operative leaders who promote more of a team culture - one that lays the framework for growth at both an employee level and for the company as a whole.

"Twenty years ago, leading was showing people what to do, directing them - and just because it said something on your business card, people needed to listen and do what you wanted," says Zellmer. "This is not the case any more. You can't tell people you know exactly what they have to do, because the world is too complex. You have to enable people to do the right thing according to your values, your strategy, your navigation system and your operational excellence standards. Of course, you have to have a set of rules, but you need to let people do that of their own accord."

Zellmer acknowledges that he won't always be the smartest person in the room, which means that a big part of his role as a manager is to listen, digest and evaluate what he's being told when being presented with a potential solution or advancement in a given field - always with a totally open mind.

"What I hate is if people reject proposals based on the fact that 'we've never done it like that' or because it was 'not invented here'," he explains. "I think this is something that you have to signal to people: you can come with any proposal and you will never be denied because it wasn't invented here, or it contradicts something that is probably the better decision."

He naturally shies away from accepting that Skoda's gleaming results can be credited to his qualities as an 'outstanding leader', preferring instead to attribute them to the tireless efforts of his colleagues: "I'm not delivering them myself, I'm delivering them with a team that I need to inspire and have heading in the right direction with the right speed and the right spirit."

But Zellmer does concede that there are certain qualities that make an effective CEO: "To walk the talk, to have a vision, to be a leader that creates followers, to be somebody who is approachable and credible - and, foremost, who delivers on promises."

He may not want to admit it, but Zellmer is outlining the very traits that make himself an outstanding leader - traits that line both him and Skoda up for ever greater success in the coming years.

But for all his efforts to shape the path ahead, Zellmer is much more flexible about his own future in the industry. When asked what the next stage of his colourful career could be, he laughs and says: "I've been in this automotive industry for 30 years, and I could have never answered that job in any of my positions so far."

He says people have told him he has been "lucky getting to where you are", and he agrees - but adds that you can only ever be truly lucky if "preparation meets opportunity".

"You need to be prepared for whatever comes and the opportunity that will present itself," he says, "but if you're not prepared, the opportunity will be nothing for you."

So while Zellmer may not know exactly what the future holds, you can be sure he will be ready for every eventuality and geared up to tackle the situation - just like the best Skoda cars are, really

Same car, different names – The most rebadged cars

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:33:11 +0100

We chart the cars that got the largest number of different identities

For decades car makers have confused buyers by offering models with an array of identities.

It’s a practice known as badge engineering, not to be confused with platform sharing or joint ventures, both of which have become increasingly common in recent years. Some car companies have over-indulged while others know better than to mess with their branding.

Here we bring you more than six decades of the badge-engineered car – and you’ll see that the same car makers crop up time and again while others don’t get a mention at all. They’re the smart ones. The year mentioned references the first year of production of the second model in the family:

Cadillac Cimarron (1982) - 2 MODELS

When General Motors (GM) realised in the early 1980s that BMW and Mercedes were stealing sales in parts of the luxury car market, it stuck Cadillac badges onto the Chevrolet Cavalier in a bid to compete in the smaller luxury car class. But the high prices and four-cylinder engines made the Cimarron (pictured) a laughing stock; even the introduction of a V6 in 1985 did nothing to make the car more saleable.

Ford F-150 (2002) – 2 MODELS

With the F-150 being the world’s biggest-selling truck, in 2002 Ford decided to take it upmarket with a Lincoln edition called the Blackwood, it couldn’t fail. Well that’s what Ford assumed, but in reality the Blackwood bombed with little more than 3000 made in a single model year before the plug was pulled.

Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow (1965) – 2 MODELS

After Rolls-Royce had acquired Bentley Motors in 1931 the two brands shared much the same model range, albeit sometimes with significant differences. Not where the Silver Shadow and Bentley T-Series (pictured) were concerned though; the two were interchangeable and because buyers saw the Rolls-Royce as the more prestigious brand, just 2280 four-door T-Series Bentleys were sold, compared with around 30,000 Silver Shadows.

Toyota IQ (2011) – 2 MODELS

When Aston Martin needed to cut its average CO2 emissions across its range it hit upon the bright idea of rebadging the Toyota IQ as the Cygnet (pictured), albeit it with a few bodywork updates, an interior retrim, and a hefty price-tag.

But the company seriously over-estimated demand and production was wound up after less than three years with just 786 cars built; Aston had predicted 2000 per year.

Triumph Acclaim (1981) – 2 MODELS

British Leyland signed a deal with Honda in 1979 to collaborate on forthcoming models. The former’s Triumph Dolomite was getting old so it rebadged the Honda Ballade and sold it as the Triumph Acclaim (pictured).

There were no Triumph parts in the Acclaim at all, aside from the badges – and it was by far the most reliable car the company had ever sold. But you're a brave person if you turn up to a Triumph heritage event in one of these…

Land Rover Discovery (1993) – 2 MODELS

When Honda realised that it needed a 4x4 in its armoury in the early 1990s, it licenced the original Discovery from Land Rover and sold it in Japan and New Zealand as the Crossroad (pictured). It’s the only production-car V8 Honda has ever made. Honda reintroduced the Crossroad in 2007, now engineered in-house.

Lancia Delta (2011) – 2 MODELS

When Fiat merged with Chrysler it proved how shameless it could be with its abuse of brands. First we got the Lancia Delta and Lancia Ypsilon rebadged as Chryslers for the UK market with hopelessly ambitious premium pricing, and then the Chrysler 200 (pictured) and Grand Voyager were rebadged as Lancias, the former sold as the Flavia.

All were notably unsuccessful.

Saab 9-2X (2005) – 2 MODELS

In 2005 Saab launched an estate car that should never have happened. Little more than a rebadged Subaru Impreza, the Saab 9-2X came about because GM owned Saab plus a stake in Fuji Heavy Industries, the owner of Subaru. Made for just two seasons, around 10,000 9-2Xs were built.

Opel Omega (1996) – 3 MODELS

General Motors Europe selling the same car with Opel and Vauxhall badges was to be expected, but less predictable was that this car should cross the Atlantic to wear Cadillac badges. It was a simple enough idea: GM needed an entry-level model that was spacious and comfortable and could take the fight to German imports, so surely a German import by GM itself could do the job?

When the Catera (pictured) failed to find buyers GM thankfully resisted the temptation to then nail on an array of other US badges such as Buick or Oldsmobile.

Mini (1961) – 3 MODELS

BMC didn’t always get carried away and nail every available badge to every model; sometimes it held back. The posh Riley Elf was an example of this; it was sold under only the Riley and Wolseley brands (as the Elf and Hornet respectively).

Autozam AZ-1 (1992) – 3 MODELS

Here’s one for all you geeks out there; this is about as obscure as it gets. The Autozam AZ-1 (pictured) was sold by Mazda but it was actually engineered by Suzuki, which sold its own version called the Cara.

Volkswagen Up (2011) – 3 MODELS

The Volkswagen Group rules the roost when it comes to repackaging; its first generation MQB platform fuelled 15 different models. But sometimes we get the same car wearing different badges instead, with no attempt to separate them – which is why the Volkswagen Up (pictured right) also came in virtually identical Seat Mii (pictured centre) and Skoda Citigo (pictured left) flavours, sold in most global markets apart from North America.

Mitsubishi 3000GT (1991) – 3 MODELS

Sold in Japan as the Mitsubishi GTO (pictured), this junior supercar was marketed as the 3000GT in most markets around the world. That included the US, where confusingly, buyers could also buy it as the Dodge Stealth.

Opel GT (2007) – 3 MODELS

One of the sharpest-looking sports cars of the past 20 years deserved a wide audience and that’s exactly what the Opel GT got. It was sold across Europe wearing Opel badges while in the US it was the Saturn Sky (pictured) or the Pontiac Solstice.

Ford Escape (2001) – 3 MODELS

When the first-generation Ford Escape arrived in 2001 it was developed in conjunction with Mazda – which is why the Mazda Tribute was the same car, along with the Mercury Mariner because Ford just couldn’t resist a bit of badge engineering.

Vauxhall/Opel Zafira (2001) – 3 MODELS

Depending on the market, Subaru means different things to different people. While many love its WRX STi rally car for the road, for many Subaru is all about tough workhorses such as its Forester and Legacy.

What it isn’t is a purveyor of ultra-dull seven-seat MPVs – but that’s what Subaru created when it stuck its own badge onto the Vauxhall/Opel Zafira to come up with the Traviq (pictured).

Daewoo Lanos (1997) – 4 MODELS

Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and introduced in 1997, the Daewoo Lanos (pictured) was quite a neat-looking small hatch, so no wonder an array of companies queued up to build it under licence.

These included Polish company FSO and Russia’s ZAZ.

Suzuki Vitara – 4 MODELS

Depending on the market the Vitara (pictured) was sold as the Suzuki Sidekick, Chevrolet Tracker or Geo Tracker. GM’s Geo brand (1989-2016) consisted entirely of rebadged cars made by other companies; the Prizm was really a Toyota Sprinter, the Storm was an Isuzu Impulse, the Spectrum was an Isuzu I-Mark and the Metro as we’ll see was a rebadged Suzuki Swift.

Buick Terraza (2005) – 4 MODELS

GM was at it again, bamboozling buyers by offering four versions of this minivan, each differing from the others only by its badging. As well as a Buick Terraza option there were also Chevrolet Uplander, Pontiac Montana SV6 and Saturn Relay editions (pictured), all of which were as forgettable as each other.

Plymouth Town & Country (1983) – 5 MODELS

When Chrysler launched the world’s first people-carrier in 1983, buyers could choose between Dodge Grand Caravan, Plymouth Town & Country or Chrysler Grand Voyager editions. Later on, despite having the perfectly good Sharan people carrier at its disposal, VW licenced the Chrysler minivan and sold it as the Routan (pictured) while the Fiat-Chrysler tie-up also led to it being sold as a Lancia for a while.

Chevrolet Aveo (2002) – 6 MODELS

The original Chevrolet Aveo grew out of the Daewoo Kalos – a car that was as dull as it’s possible to get. Despite its lack of talent the Aveo was sold around the globe as the Holden Barina, Pontiac G3 (pictured), ZAZ Vida and in Canada it was even sold as the Suzuki Swift+.

Hillman Avenger (1970) – 6 MODELS

Britain’s Rootes Group was at it again, with this rear-wheel drive family car that arrived in 1970. Originally sold as the Hillman Avenger, there were also Talbot, Sunbeam and Dodge versions of it, while in the US it was sold as the Plymouth Cricket (pictured); in Argentina it was sold as the Volkswagen 1500.

GMC Envoy (1998) – 6 MODELS

GM has played the badge engineering card seriously heavily over the years, largely because it used to have an awful lot of brands and it also reserved different brands for different countries. But it can’t always use that excuse, because the Saab 9-7X, Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy (pictured), Buick Rainier, Isuzu Ascender and the Oldsmobile Bravada were all sold in the US.

BMC Farinas (1959) – 6 MODELS

The British Motor Corporation was formed in 1952 with the merger of Austin and Morris. The latter also owned the MG, Riley and Wolseley brands and the badge engineering began immediately – but it reached fever pitch in 1959 with the arrival of the big Farina saloon, which was offered in every form imaginable: Austin Cambridge, Morris Oxford (pictured), Riley 4/68, Wolseley 15/60, MG Magnette and in six-cylinder form there was a Vanden Plas edition too.

BMC ADO16 (1962) – 6 MODELS

BMC carried on with smaller cars in the 1960s too. There was no way each marque could have its own distinct model range so BMC just stuck an array of badges onto each model, which is why we ended up with Austin, Morris, Wolseley, Riley, Vanden Plas and MG versions of the 1100 and 1300.

Mitsubishi Starion (1982) – 6 MODELS

Sold as the Colt Starion in the UK (pictured – known later as the Mitsubishi Starion), this rather neat sporting hatch could be bought in the US as a Chrysler, Dodge or Plymouth Conquest. Or just for good measure, US buyers could also buy theirs as a Mitsubishi Starion.

Humber Sceptre (1966) – 7 MODELS

Whatever BMC could do, the Rootes Group could match. The company’s Arrow range arrived in 1966 and remained in production until 2005 in Iran. In that time the car was sold as the Singer Gazelle and Vogue, Hillman Hunter (pictured) and Humber Sceptre; later there would be Chrysler Hunter and Vogue editions while the car would end its days as the Paykan in Iran.

Chevrolet Captiva Sport (2006) – 7 MODELS

General Motors gave this car a different identity all over the world. Australia got it as the Holden Captiva, the UK as the Vauxhall Antara while elsewhere in Europe it was the Opel Antara. Sold as the Saturn Vue in North America, in South America it was the Chevrolet Captiva Sport (pictured) – while in South Koreans it was the Daewoo Winstorm MaXX.

Holden Monaro (2001) – 7 MODELS

This time the Holden Monaro (pictured) built in Australia was also sold as the Vauxhall Monaro (later the VXR8) in the UK, while in the US the car was sold as the Pontiac GTO and G8 as well as the Chevrolet Lumina, Caprice and SS. Sadly, Holden’s remaining Australian factory closed in 2017 and the Holden brand itself died in 2021.

Chevrolet Venture (1997) – 7 MODELS

It’s another GM badge-fest, with this minivan introduced in 1997 and coming with a bewildering variety of identities. For the US market there was the Chevrolet Venture, Pontiac Montana and Trans Sport along with the Oldsmobile Silhouette (pictured). It was sold as the Buick GL8 in China while European buyers got it as either the Opel or Vauxhall Sintra.

Suzuki Swift (1988) – 8 MODELS

The first Swift was sold under various badges mostly owned by General Motors , but the second generation model of this small car - sold as two-door and four-door saloons, and three-door and five-door hatchbacks - took things to another level. Produced in 11 different locations across the world including Canada, Indonesia and Venezuela, Suzuki sold it under six different model names alone.

But it was also sold as the Maruti Suzuki 1000 (India), Changan Suzuki Lingyang (China), Chevrolet Sprint and Pontiac Firefly (Canada), Chevrolet Swift and Forsa (Latin America), Geo Metro (US, pictured), Holden Barina (Australia), and Subaru Justy (Europe). Production only finally ended, in Pakistan, in 2016.

Chevrolet Spark (2009) – 8 MODELS

The Chevrolet Spark (pictured) wore a multitude of identities including the Chevrolet Beat and Holden Barina Spark while its successor was also marketed as the Opel Karl, Holden Spark and Vauxhall Viva.

The original car (from 1998) was even more confusing as it carried Daewoo, Pontiac, FSO, Chevrolet and Formosa badges, among others.

Talbot Horizon (1978) – 9 MODELS

Winner of the European Car of the Year in 1978, this otherwise forgettable hatchback featured Chrysler, Talbot or Simca badges in Europe , while in America it was sold under the Plymouth (Horizon (pictured), Scamp, Turismo) and Dodge (Charger, Omni, Rampage) banners.

Opel Kadett (1984) – 9 MODELS

The Kadett badge goes right the way back to 1936, but when the model went front-wheel drive in 1979 GM got quite carried away. This car would also be sold as the Chevrolet Kadett, Pontiac Le Mans, Passport Optima, and once the car had been revised once more it also wore an array of Daewoo badges (Cielo, Le Mans, Nexia, Racer), as well as the Vauxhall (pictured) and Opel Astra.

Isuzu Trooper (1991) – 11 MODELS

Not for the first nor indeed last time in this story, the prolific nature of this large SUV reflects the imperial scale of General Motors, which bought a large slice of Japan’s Isuzu in 1972.

The second generation Trooper was more luxurious than the first one and filled various gaps in GM’s global SUV lineup, which saw it sold as the Chevrolet Trooper (US and Canada), Opel Monterey (continental Europe), Vauxhall Monterey (UK), Holden Jackaroo and Monterey, and HSV Jackaroo (Australia). Other companies bought the model in to fill some of their gaps too; Honda sold it as the Acura SLX in the US and Honda Horizon in Japan, while it was sold as the Sanjiu 3-Nine Isuzu Trooper in China.

GM T-Car (1974) – 13 MODELS

It is probably only fitting that General Motors wins this competition. After all it’s arguably been in the badge engineering game since it began in 1908, and most definitely since the early 1930s.

The front-drive Kadett was nothing on its rear-drive predecessor, the GM T Series first launched in 1974. Spurred on by the oil crisis which saw fuel prices skyrocket, General Motors wanted to make a small car that could be sold everywhere, under any brand name and any nameplate. And in that they seemed to succeed, using the car - with minor physical changes - under a bewildering 20 different names and under 13 brand names.

We can’t include all the names or we’d be here all night but they include the Holden Gemini (Australia & New Zealand), Opel Kadett (Germany), Isuzu I-Mark (Japan), Vauxhall Chevette (UK) and Chevrolet Chevette (US & Canada, pictured) and also including under some very obscure brand-names including Saehan (Korea), Aymesa (Ecuador), Grumett (Uruguay) and San Remo (Venezuela). The T-Series went on being built until 2008, a cool 34-year lifespan.

If you enjoyed this story, please click the Follow button above to see more like it from Autocar

The best small electric cars 2026 - driven, rated and ranked

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 16:26:44 +0100

EVs may already be cheaper than you think – and they're set to get even cheaper. We rank the best small ones on sale

Small electric cars are a more common sight on British roads, with falling production costs, evolving battery technology and competitive government incentives helping UK drivers make the switch to electric motoring.

Once dominated by heavy, inefficient and expensive EVs, the small electric car class has been revolutionised by a fleet of affordable and eye-catching models that serve as credible alternatives to petrol superminis.

Led by the retro-inspired Renault 5, the small EV looks set to dominate the market for the foreseeable future with the arrival of the chunky Fiat Grande Panda and highly-anticipated Volkswagen ID Polo.

These models showcase that you don’t need an electric SUV to reap the rewards of an EV. By developing energy-dense battery packs and space-efficient platforms, engineers are now able to squeeze all the benefits of an electric car into a much smaller package, without sacrificing on range or usability.

We think the best small EV you can buy today is the Renault 5. It neatly blends retro-styling with pleasant road manners, a well-configured interior and a starting price that undercuts many of its main rivals. It’s a brilliant all rounder and the benchmark for the class.

However, a new wave of small EVs means the 5 isn’t your only choice. You might prefer the budget comfort of a Citroën ë-C3, or the clever ergonomics of the quirky Hyundai Inster.

Thanks to our expert road test team, we’ve put together a definitive guide to the best small electric cars on sale.

Best small electric cars at a glance

Car Model	Best For	Starting Price (UK)	Official Range (WLTP)	Boot Capacity (Litres)
Renault 5 E-Tech	Best all-rounder	£21,495	192 – 248 miles	326L
Fiat Grande Panda	Retro style and roomy interior	£20,995	199 miles	361L
MG 4 EV	Long range	£29,995	251 – 338 miles	363L
Mini Cooper E	Premium tech and dynamics	£25,465	179 – 250 miles	211L
Nissan Micra EV	Mature ride and refinement	£21,495	196 – 257 miles	326L

Genesis Magma GT3 converts supercar concept into hardcore racer

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:22:55 +0100

Stylish supercar sprouts wings and extra lights in a conversion from road to racetrack

The new Genesis Magma GT3 is the first look at how the Korean manufacturer will expand its sports car racing programme beyond its hypercar.

Revealed at the Le Mans 24 Hours – the jewel in the crown of the World Endurance Championship – it is a race-prepared version of last year’s Magma GT concept.

It is notably more aggressive than the road-going variant, gaining auxiliary lights on its front fascia, plus a range of carbonfibre aerodynamic addenda.

Though it is described as a concept for now, Genesis has said the new car was developed according to the GT3 class’s rulebook, so it could become a viable contender relatively quickly.

Technical details remain under wraps for now, but it is likely to be powered by the same V8 as the road-going version. This may be related to the 3.2-litre V8 used by the GMR-001 hypercar – itself derived from two of Hyundai’s World Rally Championship inline fours – but in a different state of tune.

The GT3 concept also reflects Genesis’s ambition to develop bespoke performance cars through its new Magma brand – rather than solely uprating existing models, the approach that it took for the forthcoming GV60 Magma.

Luc Donckerwolke, Genesis’s chief creative officer, said: “The [road-going] Magma GT Concept embodies our vision of luxury and athleticism on the road, while the Magma GT3 Concept translates that philosophy into the race environment, where every element is driven by performance, efficiency, and purpose.”

BMW M3's future revealed with dramatic new concept

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0100

BMW sets out its motorsport-influenced vision for future performance cars with M Concept Neue Klasse

BMW has previewed the future of its performance cars with a radical new concept that sets the tone for the future of its M division.

The M Concept Neue Klasse was unveiled at the Le Mans 24 Hours race today as a statement of intent for how motorsport will influence the design, technology and character of upcoming cars from BMW M – which later this year enters a new chapter with the unveiling of the all-new M3 saloon.

The new M3 will be based on the recently revealed i3 saloon, riding on BMW’s new Gen6 platform and offered with the choice of straight-six or electric power. However, it will be a wildly different technical proposition and have a completely bespoke design – with its defining elements shown for this first time on this concept.

Just as the Vision Neue Klasse evolved into the i3 with minimal changes to its fundamental design, so M’s new show car is thought to give a strong indication of what the first full-fat electric M car will look like in its final form.

It is a statement of intent for recently appointed BMW M design chief Oliver Heilmer, previously head of design at BMW-owned Mini, who says the performance division’s new design language “forms the expressive spearhead of the Neue Klasse – determined and powerful”.

The aim is for the next generation of M cars to be more overtly distinguished from their mainstream counterparts than the current crop is – even the outgoing M3 and M4, which share only their broad silhouettes and basic platform with the standard 3 and 4 Series.

“At BMW M, form consistently follows function,” said Heilmer. “Every detail serves performance. This project is truly special to me because it carries the BMW M character into the new era.”

To that end, the M Concept has been designed to be “instantly recognisable as a high-performance automobile”, said BMW, with a raft of features that point to its dazzling dynamic potential.

Some of the most striking of these include the unusual V-shaped bonnet, which frames the prominent air intake for the high-output EV drivetrain; the ‘shark nose’ grille that’s reminiscent of past performance icons such as the 3.0 CSL and 635 CSi; the aero-optimised, M-specific wing mirror designs; the heavily swollen rear arches; and the various aero elements made from natural fibres.

There’s a ‘trimaran-style’ front bumper design too, which is claimed to have been inspired by high-speed sailing boats – with a three-part design that “underlines the vehicle’s technical performance”. It’s echoed by a similar set-up at the back, in combination with a ducktail rear wing that boosts downforce and aerodynamic efficiency.

BMW also points to the yellow headlights as a feature derived from race cars – such as its own M Hybrid V8 LMDh sports prototype, which competes in the World Endurance Championship. It says these will be “a signature feature” of upcoming M cars and they are flanked on the concept by 3D-effect ‘track lights’ in the bumper.

The motorsport influence is evident inside too, where Heilmer and his team have sought to reinterpret the basic interior from the i3 and closely related iX3 into an environment that is “reduced and consistently geared towards the driving experience”.

The concept features four bucket seats (the rears are likely to be swapped for a more conventional bench for showrooms), which are shaped to give maximum support to all occupants during enthusiastic driving. They are finished in distinctive M-themed merino leather, with red harnesses to “emphasise the sporty character”.

A similar effect is achieved by the M-specific steering wheel, backed by chunky gear selectors – which on an EV are likely to be used to adjust the brake regen or throttle response.

As previewed by the earlier Vision Dynamics Experience concept, BMW M’s new EVs will use a highly bespoke drivetrain that puts a motor on each of the four wheels for intricate controllability of power output at each corner of the car while driving.

The arrangement is governed by BMW’s new ‘Heart of Joy’ vehicle control unit and allows for torque vectoring front to rear and side to side. BMW says this “opens up new potential for driving dynamics and driving safety”, as well as maximising the amount of energy that can be recuperated under deceleration.

Like the standard i3 and iX3, the M Concept is equipped with 800V charging architecture and a battery of “more than 100kWh” (it’s 108kWh in the current production cars), which is made up of BMW’s new efficiency-boosting cylindrical cells.

BMW has not given any indication of the M Concept’s hypothetical performance potential. The quad-motor set-up in the Vision Dynamics Experience test rig produced a gigantic 13,269lb ft of torque, but any production-ready evolution of the system is likely to be downtuned slightly.

Nonetheless, intel suggests the electric M3 will pack around 1000bhp – approximately double the output of the current straight-six car – which should allow for off-the-mark pace to rival most full-blown supercars.

However, BMW M sales boss Sylvia Neubauer recently told Autocar that the outright priority for the firm’s EVs is not to purely offer blistering straight-line pace but rather to “stay true to BMW M DNA” in offering engaging dynamics and controllability at high speed.

“It’s not only about acceleration and power. It’s about drivability, manoeuvrability and that level of trust and connection between the driver, car and road,” said Neubauer.

The Vision Dynamics Experience prototype was created to test and demonstrate how the Heart of Joy controller can help in this regard, distributing its generous power reserves to all four corners as required in a matter of milliseconds. But it remains to be seen exactly how closely a showroom-ready car can match its capabilities.

It is also unclear if BMW will opt to equip a road car with the ground-sucking, downforce-boosting fans that were fitted to the Vision Dynamics Experience car – as demonstrated at the 2025 Shanghai motor show, where the concept held itself at the top of a 54deg incline.

Mitsubishi L200

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 13:42:55 +0100

Japanese brand returns after five years with fresh diesel pick-up truck In an era when the UK new car market seems to be filling rapidly with unfamiliar cars sporting funny names, it’s enjoyable, even reassuring, to welcome back an old friend, the Mitsubishi L200.This pick-up returns to the UK in its seventh iteration, slightly bigger than the sixth that left us in 2021. It has fresh interior and exterior designs plus a brand-new twin-turbocharged diesel four, but it still comes with a look and a character its devotees will instantly recognise.Although Mitsubishi’s importer is now Midlands-based International Motors, known for its associations with Subaru, Isuzu and Xpeng, its UK boss is still Toby Marshall, well known to the clientele because he has worked with the Japanese marque for decades.When sales stopped in 2021, Marshall continued his Mitsubishi association by running a 106-strong network of service centres, kept healthy by the large car parc. More recently, he has been assembling a 60-strong network of retailers, most of which also have Mitsubishi or IM associations.Marshall expects strong take-up for the new L200 from previous owners: “Buyers have always been very loyal. In Mitsubishi’s peak years, 2001 to 2007, pick-up sales really boomed. The company had up to 11 models to sell but L200 sales accounted for a third of the total, around 31,000 units a year. We’re now hearing from customers interested in the new model. This is no relaunch, it’s continuity.”To stress this, Marshall and IM are launching another new but familiar model, the plug-in hybrid Outlander SUV, also available now.

5 ways the Skoda Elroq stands out for value

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0100

Looking for feature-packed electric SUV that punches well above its price? Meet the Skoda Elroq

The electric SUV market has never been more crowded – or more competitive. From budget newcomers to established European names, family buyers have more choice than ever before. But with more options comes more noise, and cutting through it to find the car that genuinely delivers on its promises is no easy task. That’s where our sister title What Car? comes in.

The Škoda Elroq earned itself a coveted five-star What Car? review, with the team declaring it “a five-star buy because it’s well-priced, practical, comfortable and good to drive.” What Car? also praised its real-world versatility, pointing out that the Elroq offers “a lot of interior space, but isn’t especially big on the outside” – a combination that sits at the heart of its family appeal. The Elroq also earned a maximum five-star Euro NCAP safety rating in 2025, making it one of the most well-rounded family EVs on sale.

On top of its five-star review, the Elroq was named Best Value Family Electric SUV at the 2026 What Car? Awards – the second consecutive year it has claimed the title. It’s a result that reflects just how consistently the Elroq outperforms rivals on the things that matter most to families: space, range, equipment and everyday usability. So, to find out exactly why the award-winning Škoda Elroq should be at the very top of your electric SUV shortlist, here are the five big reasons What Car? rates it so highly.

Test drive the award-winning Škoda Elroq

#1 Generous standard equipment

When What Car?’s judges handed the Elroq its trophy, one of the first things they highlighted was the sheer depth of standard kit. Even on the entry-level SE L 60, buyers get heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, front and rear parking sensors and built-in sat-nav as standard. That’s a level of generosity that many rivals reserve for mid-spec or range-topping trim levels.

The rest of the standard equipment list is similarly impressive. Every Elroq comes with attractive alloy wheels, LED headlights, a 13.0in infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a rear-view camera, dual-zone climate control and cruise control. There’s even a neat ice scraper and an umbrella tucked into the door – the kind of ‘Smart, Spacious and Stylish’ thinking that Škoda has built its reputation on.

As What Car? observed, the Elroq’s standard kit alone helps to justify what you’d spend over a rival such as the MG S5 – and the judges noted that Škoda “hasn’t had to compromise in other areas to support such generosity.” You still get a 265-mile official range on the 60, competitive pricing and a refined, composed driving experience. For buyers looking to stretch the budget a little further, the optional Lodge interior adds two-tone faux leather upholstery and contrasting orange seat belts – a premium touch that doesn’t require a premium outlay.

#2 Competitive all-electric range

Range anxiety is still one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption, and Škoda has taken the issue seriously. The Elroq is available in three battery configurations to suit different driving habits. The entry-level Elroq 50 has an official range of 232 miles – comfortably enough for everyday errands and the school run. Step up to the Elroq 60 and you’re looking at an official 265 miles, which What Car?’s judges noted already beats the 211-mile range of the entry-level MG S5.

For families with longer commutes or regular motorway miles, the Elroq 85’s 77kWh battery delivers an official 355 miles on a full charge. As What Car? pointed out, that’s enough to cover a trip from Birmingham to Edinburgh without stopping to charge. And when you do need to top up, rapid charging support means a 10–80% charge takes around 28 minutes – about the time it takes to grab a coffee and stretch your legs. Crucially, the Elroq supports battery preconditioning en route to a charging station, ensuring the pack is primed for rapid charging on arrival.

#3 Excellent ride and handling balance

One of the most underappreciated aspects of the Elroq’s appeal is how well it drives – especially for a car that prioritises comfort and practicality over outright sportiness. In its awards write-up, What Car? praised the Elroq’s ride for “striking a fine balance between suppleness and control,” and that verdict is backed up by the full five-star review.

According to What Car?, “the Elroq’s standard suspension absorbs imperfections in the road surface extremely well and delivers a controlled ride at all speeds.” Combine that with impressive body control on undulating country roads and a cabin that proved “fractionally quieter at 70mph than the Kia EV3, MG S5 and Renault Scenic” in a What Car? comparison test, and you have a car that makes long journeys genuinely relaxing.

It’s clear the Elroq is far from just a sensible pick, with What Car? road testers saying “the Elroq handles well for an electric SUV. It doesn’t feel as tall as many SUVs and feels more nimble because of it, with plenty of grip and neat body control helping it deal with quick changes of direction”.

#4 Impressive interior space

Space has always been a Škoda strength, and the Elroq is no exception. Despite sitting below the larger Enyaq in the range, it punches well above its weight for interior room. Up front, the driving position is well-judged and there’s plenty of adjustment. In the back, What Car? confirmed that “even a six-footer will have plenty of head and leg room to spare when sitting behind a similarly tall driver” – a genuine five-seat family car in a compact-SUV footprint.

Storage throughout the cabin is equally thoughtful. What Car? noted “there are lots of handy storage cubbies between the Škoda Elroq’s front seats, plus its door bins are large and lined with felt so your possessions don’t rattle around.” A 470-litre boot with 60/40 split-folding rear seats and a ski hatch completes a practical package that will handle everything from the weekly shop to a weekend away.

Add the optional Transport Package and practicality goes up another notch, bringing a height-adjustable boot floor that smooths loading and a parcel shelf net designed to stow the charging cable neatly out of sight. As What Car?’s reviewer Oliver Young noted, “Škoda’s ‘Smart, Spacious and Stylish’ features are genuinely useful” – and in the Elroq, they crop up in all the right places.

#5 Temptingly priced

Ultimately, the reason the Elroq keeps winning awards – and the reason buyers keep choosing it over the opposition – comes down to value. Prices start from just over £30,000 after the UK Government’s £1500 Electric Car Grant is applied, and that extraordinary starting point already undercuts entry-level versions of smaller rivals including the Kia EV3 and the Volvo EX30.

What Car?’s judges put it best when they described the Elroq as being like Easyjet: “you can pay less for some of its competitors, but the slightly higher outlay is worth it for the much better experience it provides.” That value equation extends to running costs too – as a pure EV, the Elroq sits in the lowest Benefit-in-Kind tax band, making it an attractive proposition for company car drivers as well as private buyers.

So, those are the five big reasons why the Škoda Elroq has been named Best Value Family Electric SUV at the What Car? Awards for the second year running. Generous standard equipment, competitive range, a supple and composed ride, impressive interior space and tempting pricing add up to a package that's hard to beat in the family electric SUV class. If you’re in the market for a new car, perhaps it's time to try it for yourself.

Test drive the award-winning Škoda Elroq

New Peugeot e-208 GTi brings 277bhp for £35k

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0100

Electric hot hatch – which reprises famous GTi badge – goes from concept to production with very few changes

Peugeot has confirmed the e-208 GTi will be priced from £34,995 in the UK, as the production-ready model makes its debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans today.

That figure does not include the government's Electric Car Grant, through which the GTi is expected to qualify for a £1500 discount. That would reduce its price to £33,845, undercutting the rival Alpine A290 GTS+ (£34,245, inclusive of a £3750 government grant).

The GTi was first unwrapped in concept form at La Sarthe last year, but Peugeot has now pulled the wraps off the finished product – ready for showrooms in the coming months with a design that the brand says "is incredibly close" to the original show car.

The first new Peugeot GTi model since the hot 308 retired in 2021 is also its most powerful yet, with its single front-mounted electric motor producing 277bhp and 254lb ft of torque for a 0-62mph time of 5.5sec. It also weighs 1545kg.

Technically, it's a close relation to the Abarth 600e, Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce and upcoming Vauxhall Corsa GSE, which means it also gets a mechanical limited-slip differential to increase its agility in the bends.

Beyond the hefty power increase of 124bhp over the standard e-208, the GTi also gains bespoke hydraulic bump stops, a rear anti-roll bar and a unique steering tune that's said to boost responsiveness.

It also rides 30mm lower and has significantly widened tracks – by 27mm at the rear and 56mm at the front – for improved poise and stance.

Although it shares its 54kWh battery pack with the regular e-208, its cooling system has been revised to prevent performance from dropping off at high speeds. It offers 218 miles of range with the standard-fit Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres, or 233 with the optional (but free) Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3 rubber.

As previewed by the concept, the visual makeover extends to a prominent rear spoiler and diffuser, a beefier front lip and striking 18in alloy wheels with a design inspired by the distinctive 'pepperpots' of its hallowed 205 GTi forefather.

Further details will be revealed on Friday 12 June as Peugeot marks the 100th anniversary of its first Le Mans race by taking to the circuit in three GTis - painted red, white and blue to celebrate the brand's French heritage.

UK sales of the new hot hatch will begin towards the end of the year.

Volkswagen T-Roc

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0100

Incredibly popular compact crossover enters its second generation aiming to right some wrongs The Volkswagen T-Roc has been its creator's biggest-selling new car in Europe in more calendar years than any other model this decade. Now it’s back for a second tilt at success – and the new one is a lot more serious about capitalising on a receptive European audience. Relative to the first version, this Mk2 has all the hallmarks of a significantly extended development budget that only established commercial success can bring. The noises being made about it – concerning greater efficiency, better active safety features, more cabin space, more sophisticated interior quality, and a closer relationship with Volkswagen’s bigger SUVs (Tiguan, Tayron) – describe a car that’s come of age, and is ready to cement a permanent spot as its maker’s MVP.So is that more rounded, self-assured C-segment SUV the one that the Autocar road test jury is about to recognise? There’s a phased introduction of engine derivatives planned, so we looked to a mild-hybrid 1.5-litre e-TSI model, in entry-grade Life trim, to find out.

Why the mould-breaking Honda Prelude is 2026's best hybrid

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0100

Nobody would have imagined the Civic's humble hybrid set-up would make a great coupé, but this is

It's something of a coupé coup for a modestly powerful, fairly affordable hybrid like the Honda Prelude to have come along in 2026 and achieved so much.

Nobody would have imagined that a powertrain like the four-pot petrol-electric one in the Civic and CR-V could have been enlivened so effectively as it has in the Prelude, just via a bit of creative thinking and some make-believe gear ratios.

Nobody would expect there to still be money to be made in the European market for mid-sized sporting coupés, from where the likes of Audi, Volkswagen, Peugeot and others have all packed up and fled - but where the Prelude now suddenly seems so uniquely placed.

It's all textbook Honda: to have been away from this arena when the likes of the TT, Scirocco and RCZ were all cashing in, only to come back when the rest of the industry's attention is elsewhere.

The Prelude may have been something of a front-wheel-drive technical pioneer in the 1980s and 1990s, but the sixth-generation car is still a bit of a change of gear (no pun intended).

It's pretty in a way the previous ones never were. It's mechanically conventional, deriving its handling dynamism not from four-wheel steering or clever torque vectoring but by adopting a revised take on the chassis and suspension of the acclaimed Civic Type R hot hatch.

And the hybrid powertrain that has brought the Prelude in for criticism in other parts of the world, where it had a greater reputation for performance in previous forms, looks ideal to give it a viable medium-term future in the UK and Europe.

Right now, a great-looking car with an efficient electrified powertrain could be exactly what mature, sophisticated, empty-nester clientele are looking for.

Moreover, when they drive the Prelude, those potential customers will find a car that delivers beyond its visuals. The car's handling is really impressive: flat, composed, super-precise and finely polished. It isn't firm-riding like the hot Civic on which it's based, either.

And that hybrid powertrain may not be a stellar dynamic draw in itself, but it provides more than enough real-world, accessible performance to keep the chassis occupied and does a convincing enough impression of a paddle-shift automatic gearbox, including that genuinely revving four-cylinder engine (eat that, EVs), to complete the picture.

The Prelude is easily the most interesting, encouraging new hybrid performance car to come along in 2026, and the offer of its talents for a rather reasonable price is the cherry on the cake.

Elise, Evoque, Corvette: Inside the mind of designer Julian Thomson

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Autocar's Design Hero for 2026 stands out not only for a run of incredible cars but also his enthusiasm

This may sound odd, but what makes Julian Thomson - Autocar's 2026 Design Hero - different from other distinguished car designers is that he remains as keen as he was 40 years ago to get on with designing great cars.

By the time they've had three or four successful decades in the job, many design greats have become managers and administrators, concerned mostly with what's happening in some big company's boardroom.

Admittedly, Thomson's links are with one of the biggest - General Motors - but since 2022 he has been the driving force behind its all-new European Advanced Design studio in Warwick, England, where a tight-knit team is several years into producing original design proposals for the 'mothership' in Warren, Detroit. Longer-established studios in China, South Korea and California in the US do the same.

It stands to the credit of Thomson that GM's then global head of design, Mike Simcoe, paused a plan to open a new European studio until he heard for certain that Thomson (who in mid-2021 had just left Jaguar) was definitely available for the new role. The two had hit it off in initial meetings and Simcoe, another very design-focused character, was willing to wait.

His reward was that by 2024 Thomson's new studio had a carefully chosen team of 35 already working flat out on secret projects for GM's Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Hummer marques.

Then about a year ago, the Warwick studio hit the headlines with a futuristic, full-size son-of-Stingray proposal for a new Chevy Corvette, the first of three to flow from GM's remote studios. More such commissions have followed.

Thomson has been very particular about choosing his team, unashamedly inviting close colleagues and friends if he knows they have the required skills. "It is vital to have people who understand the power of collaboration," he says. "It's amazing how much you can accomplish with a group prepared to work together. Our people understand about discussing things properly and about pooling ideas."

Thomson's innate desire to get on with creating cars reaches back to the earliest days in his career, when he went to work in a huge Ford design studio after graduating from the Royal College of Art in the mid-1980s. "I was a bit surprised it was so little like college," he says. "People liked their jobs, but they didn't have the urge to change things on the streets like we did."

A chance to go to Lotus, where Peter Stevens was building a small design team, changed things completely. "Everything was exciting," he says. "We went from a huge studio to a Portakabin, and they hadn't even delivered the end of that, so we were open to the elements. I didn't bat an eyelid."

During that period Thomson designed one of his most famous cars, the original Lotus Elise, more revered today than ever. He still signs consignments of caps for the Lotus Drivers Club.

"I loved Lotus," he said, "though what we did seems much more significant now than it did at the time. The great thing was that you touched every single bit of the company: I had friends in manufacturing, engineering, powertrain, electrical and I got to know all of their problems. We socialised with one another and built a lot of friendships."

After a short stint at Volkswagen, Thomson began the career phase for which he is best known, as Jaguar's advanced design director, working with its then design chief, Ian Callum.

Famous for their lively discussions, the pair forged a highly productive friendship that created a new design direction for Jaguar (via the XF), invented Jaguar's SUVs (via the F-Pace) and moved it into the electrified era (via the I-Pace).

Thomson's most prophetic work of all was to conceive a rule-breaking SUV concept called Land Rover LRX at the start of 2008. It became a smash sales success as the Range Rover Evoque and continues to sell strongly to this day.

However, Thomson and Callum left Jaguar within a year of one another after a 20-year partnership, when a new management decided the 100-year-old marque needed radical design changes.

Callum set up his own design consultancy, and within six months Thomson was engrossed with the first steps in the GM project. The Warwick studio has already become an implicit part of GM's design portfolio, though visitors who know design often remark on its calm creativity, given the volume of its output.

Thomson regards this GM phase as one of the greatest eras of his design life. He points to a book on his shelves called Fins, which describes the life and career of the design pioneer Harley Earl, GM's first true star of the studio.

"It feels amazing to be here, now, working for the company that invented the clay model, the design studio, the concept car and the modern way of creating cars. GM is very proud of all of this," he says. "When I think about going through the various phases of my career to end up here, where it all began - and to actually be a part of it - well, it's a great honour."

New Denza Z supercar brings 1582bhp and 217mph top speed

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 14:09:16 +0100

Chinese rival to Maserati Grancabrio Folgore is an electric 2+2 roadster with huge power reserves

Specifications for the new Denza Z have been disclosed in Chinese regulatory filings, revealing the electric supercar will pack a huge 1582bhp.

The 2+2 roadster was previously revealed at the Beijing motor show as the BYD-owned luxury brand's new flagship.

Denza has said it will be capable of sprinting from 0-62mph in less than 2.0sec – as fast as the Rimac Nevera – and its top speed has now been revealed as 217mph.

The Z weighs 2650kg in soft-top form or 2580kg with a metal roof.

It will also be offered with a sporting package that adds a large rear spoiler and boosts the top speed from the standard 186mph to its full potential.

Shaped by BYD's chief designer Wolfgang Egger (whose previous works include the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione), the Z remains true to the concept car that was shown in last year with smooth surfacing and a cab-forward silhouette.

Inside the show car's brightly decorated cabin, with turquoise and yellow upholstery, it departs from BYD convention in gaining a smattering of physical controls on the dash and squared-off steering wheel - including what look to be drive mode and suspension adjustment functions.

Exposed carbonfibre in the centre console and in the backs of the bucket seats further nod to the Z's sporting remit.

Unusually, Denza will launch the Z first in Europe, as it aims to establish a foothold for its fledgling premium brand in a market historically dominated by the British and German stalwarts, before starting sales in its home market.

The Z is powered by three electric motors (two on the rear axle, one up front). It is also equipped with a steer-by-wire system, four independently controlled electric motors and the same 'DiSus-M' magnetorheological suspension as the wild Yangwang U9 hypercar.

This will give the four-seater the same predictive damping technology that primes the chassis for upcoming changes in the road surface, but it's unconfirmed whether it will be able to jump into the air on command, like the U9.

Denza has yet to give a steer on pricing, but the Z's closest rival on paper would be the Maserati Granturismo Folgore, which starts at around £180,000.

The brand could look to undercut the established competition with its new super-GT, but it will naturally cost significantly more than the new Denza Z9 GT, which is tipped to start at around £100,000 when it lands in the next few months.

The best cars from companies that no longer exist

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 12:41:46 +0100

We take a journey into the finest model made by famous car companies that no longer exist

Times change, markets evolve and sometimes companies who rule the roost get a wheel stuck in a ditch and never recover.

Some of the brands who are no longer with us are gladly forgotten, while others left us wonderful memories of motoring days gone by. Join us as we look at some of the best cars built by car makers no longer around:

AMC: Eagle (1980)

This was a family car on stilts which relied on serious four-wheel drive hardware and ample ground clearance to tackle tough trails and knee-deep snow. In many ways, the Eagle was the modern crossover’s predecessor. Have you noticed the rising popularity of SUV-coupes? AMC did it first with the Eagle SX/4 (next picture), and it had two doors like a proper coupe should.

So what happened to AMC?

The company was bought by France’s Renault in 1979, but AMC’s range of mostly smaller cars suffered as fuel became relatively cheaper during the 1980s. Renault CEO Georges Besse - who championed AMC - was murdered in 1986 by terrorists, and his successors lost interest and sold the firm to Chrysler in 1987, when the AMC badge came to an end.

Amphicar: Model 770 (1961)

Launched in 1961, the Amphicar Model 770 was a boat-car hybrid with no direct rivals. Its rear-mounted, Triumph-sourced four-cylinder engine spun either the back wheels or a pair of plastic propellers visible beneath the rear bumper, while the front wheels steered it regardless of whether it was traveling on land or on water. It was surprisingly versatile and, thankfully, completely watertight.

Most were sold in the United States, including one to President Lyndon Johnson (pictured) , who used to pretend to unsuspecting visitors that his brakes had failed as he drove into a lake at his ranch in Texas.

So what happened to Amphicar?

The niche the Model 770 landed in was too small to keep Amphicar financially afloat. Production ended in 1967 after about 4000 units were built in West Germany by a company owned by the Quandt family, better known for their large stake in BMW.

Amphicar chose not to stay in the car industry after it axed the Model 770. To date, no other company has offered a series-produced amphibious passenger car.

Austin-Healey: 3000 (1959)

When it made its debut in 1959, the Austin-Healey 3000 stood out with a 3.0-litre engine and front disc brakes. The big Healey was a force to be reckoned with in European rallying events, but convertible-hungry buyers in North American scooped up most of the production run. It was one of the greatest British sports cars of its era, and it was continuously updated throughout the 1960s.

So what happened to Austin-Healey?

The deal between Austin and Healey ended in 1972 after 20 years. There have been talks of a revival since, including under BMW’s ownership of Austin successor company Rover, but nothing has appeared. The name itself is now owned by China’s SAIC.

PICTURE: Austin-Healey 3000 Mk3

Autobianchi: A112 Abarth (1971)

When Volkswagen takes credit for pioneering the hot hatchback, it overlooks the Autobianchi A112 Abarth. Admittedly, the A112 was easy to miss due to its small dimensions. It was introduced in September of 1971 (before anyone knew what a Golf was) as a hotter version of Autobianchi’s successful small car. Early models used a 58hp four-cylinder engine, though power climbed to 70bhp later in the production run.

So what happened to Autobianchi?

The company was a joint venture between bicycle-maker Bianchi, Pirelli, and Fiat. Fiat took full control in 1968, and then folded the operation into Lancia. The badge disappeared in 1995.

Auto-Union: 1000 SP (1957)

Visually, there was little to suggest the Auto-Union 1000 SP was related to the standard 1000. And yet, the SP shared its basic two-stroke, three-cylinder engine with the 1000, though there were some model-specific differences. Stuttgart-based coachbuilder Baur made about 5000 units of the 1000 SP between 1958 and 1965. It also built around 1640 examples of a 1000 SP-based convertible starting in 1961.

So what happened to Auto-Union?

Auto-Union merged with NSU in 1969, and both were absorbed by Volkswagen shortly after. Audi was born from the merger. While both brands are dormant today, Audi still builds cars like the A6 in Neckarsulm, where NSU was based, and Volkswagen manufactures cars in Zwickau, where Auto-Union traces some of its roots to (and where the Trabant was made).

Daimler: SP250/Dart (1959)

Once a supplier of cars to royalty, Daimler grew out of the German company, but soon built its own models. The SP250’s engine had an interesting configuration; while being only a 2.5-litre, it was a V8. Elegant but interesting to look at, it was a spirited drive, good for 120mph, and determinedly different from its stately predecessors. It was famously used to police speeds on Britain’s first motorway, the M1.

So what happened to Daimler?

The company was sold to Jaguar in 1960, its cars eventually becoming badge-engineered Jaguar derivatives. The brand disappeared in 2007, though Jaguar still has the right to use the name in many markets, though given Daimler is now also the name of the heavy trucks arm of Mercedes-Benz (it’s complicated…), this seems unlikely.

DeSoto: Model K (1928)

Created by Chrysler in 1928, DeSoto put its rivals on notice when it released its first car, the Model K, for the 1929 model year. It sold 81,065 units of the model during its first 12 months on the market, a record that remained unbroken for several decades. The Model K was cheaper than a comparable Chrysler, fitted with a six-cylinder engine, and offered in a number of body styles, including a roadster. It was the right car at the right time, and the future looked bright for Chrysler’s mainstream brand.

So what happened to DeSoto?

DeSoto’s early success quickly faded. Chrysler also purchased Dodge in 1928 and the two brands often overlapped; both were positioned below Chrysler as mass-market brands. Its evolution followed the rest of the Chrysler portfolio’s, so it received the new Firedome V8 in 1952 and the “Forward Look” design language in 1955. Sales collapsed in 1958, partly due to the same recession that helped end Edsel, and Chrysler closed DeSoto in 1961.

De Tomaso: Pantera (1971)

Alejandro De Tomaso (1928-2003) designed a breathtakingly gorgeous car and bought a V8 from Ford to stuff behind the seats. America’s appetite for performance cars ensured a steady cash flow for De Tomaso in spite of the Pantera’s quality issues.

Unreliability caused Elvis Presley to shoot his Pantera on numerous occasions, presumably as a punishment. It’s not known if this helped. Ford stopped importing the car to the US in 1975, but production carried on for other markets (including Europe) until 1992.

So what happened to De Tomaso?

De Tomaso merged with Maserati in 1975 and that brand was always more prolific, but De Tomaso sales carried on in small numbers until 2004 when the firm died. The trademark was sold on, and a De Tomaso concept car appeared at the 2011 Geneva motor show, but nothing’s been heard since.

Eagle: Talon (1989)

Chrysler founded Eagle in 1988 to continue AMC, which left the scene that same year. Its range consisted largely of average, unexciting cars that suffered from a complete lack of image. The only exception was the Talon, which was closely related to the Mitsubishi Eclipse. Released in 1989 as a 1990 model, it was available with all-wheel-drive and a turbocharged four-cylinder engine rated at 192bhp.

So what happened to Eagle?

In hindsight, there was no space in Chrysler for an obscure brand like Eagle, and not enough interest or money to give it a fighting chance. Models left the range one by one during the 1990s, and the Eagle name disappeared in 1998. Stellantis owns the name today. The factory in Normal, Illinois, that manufactured the Talon now belongs to electric pickup truck maker Rivian.

Facel Vega: Excellence (1958)

Facel Vega was a brand favoured by the world’s celebrities to build the Excellence to take the fight directly to Rolls-Royce and the German brands. From its stately design with reverse-facing rear doors to its hand-built interior, the Excellence easily lived up to its name. It served as the flagship for the brand, and for France’s entire automotive industry.

So what happened to Facel Vega?

Competition from larger luxury-car rivals like Mercedes-Benz did the company no favours and it closed down in 1964. It remains a mystery why France – home to world-beating luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Chanel – has never created a successful luxury car brand in recent decades.

Hudson: Hornet (1951)

The Hudson Hornet had big round headlights, plenty of chrome and a long, sloping roof line that flowed into a pontoon-like rear end. Power came from a 5.0-litre straight six. It was fast, too; the Hornet dominated NASCAR racing in the early 1950s.

So what happened to Hudson?

It merged with Nash-Kelvinator in 1954, to form American Motors Corporation- AMC. The Hudson badge survived until 1957. The remnants of AMC – including, most notably, Jeep – today live in Stellantis.

Innocenti: Mini (1974)

Scooter maker Innocenti formed its car-building division through a collaboration with Britain’s Austin. It began building the Mini under license during the 1960s, and it released an updated model styled by Bertone’s Marcello Gandini in 1974. Bertone gave the Mini a more modern-looking design and a practical hatch to take on the Autobianchi A112, one of Italy’s rising stars.

Several evolutions of the Innocenti Mini were built, and an entry-level two-cylinder engine joined the range in 1985. Outdated in spite of several visual updates inside and out, the Innocenti Mini retired in 1993, seven years before the Mini itself died.

So what happened to Innocenti?

Fiat gradually took over Innocenti and Maserati from De Tomaso in the 1990s. It closed the company’s factory and assigned the brand a series of badge-engineered cars like the Mille, which was a second-generation Uno made in Brazil and sold for less than the Italian-built model. Fiat dumped the Innocenti name in 1997, and Stellantis owns the name today.

Jensen: Interceptor (1966)

The Jensen Interceptor provided buyers with an alternative to the archetypal British grand tourers made by the likes of Aston Martin. It catered to buyers who cared more about silky-smooth low-end torque than razor-sharp handling and low running costs. It died without a successor when Jensen collapsed under the burden of its financial troubles.

So what happened to Jensen?

Jensen ceased operating in 1976. It was revived in 2001 with a new car, the S-V8, but promptly died again after just 20 were produced.

Matra: Rancho (1977)

Matra made the Rancho from many parts of its other vehicles. Starting with the VF2 van, engineers installed an 80hp 1.4-litre engine from the 1308 GT, brakes from the 1100 TI, and a four-speed manual transmission from the 1307. While the design suggested it could go anywhere, four-wheel drive was never offered for cost and packaging reasons.

It was a trailblazer for the crossover class, but arguably a couple of decades too early. In an odd twist of fate, the Rancho’s intended replacement morphed into the original Renault Espace, Europe's first people-carrier.

So what happened to Matra?

Matra in the automotive sphere became a contract manufacturer for Renault, but this work ceased in 2003, and some other assets were acquired by Pininfarina. The defence and aerospace part of Matra is now part of Airbus.

Mercury: Cougar (1967)

Mercury launched the Cougar to fill the space between the Ford Mustang, which it shared its platform with, and the Ford Thunderbird. It became Mercury’s hero car by combining performance with a larger dose of luxury. Later models attempted to recapture the spirit of the original, though they largely failed due to poor execution and performance best characterized as slothful.

So what happened to Mercury?

Following rationalization after the financial crisis, Ford announced the end of the brand in 2010, and its last car, a Grand Marquis, was built in January 2011.

Morris: Minor (1948)

In terms of Morris-branded cars, it’s hard to beat the Minor. While performance was sedate even by the standards of the time, steering and handling was impressive, and this was a primary way Britain got back on the road after the second world war. It later spawned van, estate and convertible versions, and more powerful engines that arrived later helped a lot. A cool 1.4 million examples were built until 1971.

So what happened to Morris?

Morris merged with arch-rival Austin in 1952 to make the British Motor Corporation. In turn this merged with various other companies to form British Leyland in 1968. The last Morris-branded car, the Ital (pictured), was built in 1984. Part of the old Morris factory in Oxford today produces the Mini for BMW; the Morris name itself is owned by China’s SAIC.

Oldsmobile: 4-4-2 (1964)

The 4-4-2 started life as a performance-oriented option package on the Oldsmobile Cutlass. It proved popular enough to earn a promotion to a full-fledged model line in 1968. Oldsmobile collaborated with American tuner Hurst to build an even faster 4-4-2 with a 390bhp engine, upgraded brakes and a model-specific suspension.

For a few years, the numbers 4-4-2 were synonymous with no-nonsense performance. The 1972 redesign demoted the nameplate to option package status.

So what happened to Oldsmobile?

Oldsmobile increasingly found its cars lost among those of GM’s other brands, let alone those from other carmakers, and the brand died in 2004.

Nash: Metropolitan (1953)

Nash envisioned the Metropolitan as a small American car with European flair. It commissioned a design from Pininfarina and asked Austin for the A40’s engine and spare production capacity. It all came together shockingly well; one of America’s smallest and most stylish cars was born.

Sales started during the 1954 model year. Often bought as a second car, the Metropolitan went through several evolutions (and was sold under several names, including Hudson and Rambler) until production ended in 1961.

So what happened to Nash?

In 1954, Nash and Hudson became American Motors Corporation (AMC) through what was at the time the largest corporate merger in American history, and formed the fourth-largest carmaker in the United States. AMC was taken over by Chrysler in 1987. The Nash name stopped being used in 1957.

NSU: Ro80 (1967)

Presented at the 1967 Frankfurt motor show, the NSU Ro80 stood proud as one of the most innovative production cars released in the 1960s. It arrived as a big, upmarket model with unusual proportions, a highly aerodynamic design, and a twin-rotor Wankel engine.

Many celebrated it as the family car of the future. Early problems with the rotary engine gave the Ro80 a bad reputation that it didn’t fully recover from, and the first oil embargo sealed its fate. While NSU took steps to make the rotary engine more reliable, it couldn’t keep its fuel economy in check. The Ro80 retired without a direct successor in 1977.

So what happened to NSU?

Vast warranty claims from the Ro80 crippled the firm and Volkswagen took it over, though VW was more interested in the firm’s factory than in its line-up. It merged NSU and Auto-Union in 1969 and reluctantly absorbed the K70, which became the first water-cooled Volkswagen.

NSU built its last car, an Ro80, in 1977, but the firm’s legacy endured. The Audi 50 (1974) was developed by NSU to replace the Prinz; it became the first Volkswagen Polo.

Panhard: 24 BT/CT (1964)

Ordinary motorists knew Panhard for big, six-seater saloons; racers knew Panhard for ultra-light sports cars. The 24-series cars were an attempt at blending the company’s two identities. Offered with a short or a long wheelbase, the 24 brought Panhard’s unique breed of sportiness to motorists unwilling to commute in a stripped-down race car.

The 24 BT was longer than the 24 CT to offer more space for occupants riding in the back. Both variants received an air-cooled flat-twin engine which, thanks to an impressively aerodynamic design, propelled the 24 to highway speeds in a relative hurry.

So what happened to Panhard?

The car side of Panhard was sold to Citroën in 1967, and the brand as a carmaker died. The name lives on as a maker of military vehicles, ultimately owned by Volvo Group, the Swedish truckmaker.

Pontiac: Firebird (1967)

General Motors didn’t allow Pontiac to build a two-seater sports car out of fear it would compete directly against Chevrolet’s Corvette. Instead, Pontiac received permission to launch a sports car based on the same platform as the then-new Camaro.

Affectionately called “Screaming Chicken,” the Firebird carried on alongside the Camaro for four generations until it died in 2002.

So what happened to Pontiac?

Increasingly lost in General Motors, the Pontiac brand was discontinued in 2010 as GM rationalised its brands after its near-death experience in the 2008-09 global financial crisis.

Plymouth: Road Runner (1968)

Muscle cars progressively grew out of mainstream buyers’ reach as they became more powerful and more expensive. The Road Runner was a return to the basic, enthusiast-approved formula of placing an immensely powerful engine in the unsuspecting body of a run-of-the-mill car. The Road Runner exceeded Plymouth’s wildest expectations during its first year on the market. Clearly, the time was right for a more affordable muscle car.

So what happened to Plymouth?

Chrysler’s Plymouth brand died in 2001, and its cars were either discontinued or rebranded as Chryslers.

Rover: SD1 (1976)

The SD1 was Rover’s last attempt at building a true flagship model on its own, before it teamed up with Honda to share technology and costs. An avant-garde design and optional V8 power positioned it firmly at the top of the Rover range, placing it in the same ring as executive saloons from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. When it worked it was great – but poor build quality and reliability ensured the SD1 often didn’t.

So what happened to Rover?

Rover became part of the Austin Rover group, and it developed the 800 (pictured) as a follow up to the SD1, a sister car to the Honda Legend. Rover was sold to BMW in 1994. Having sold off Land Rover to Ford in 2000, it sold what was now MG Rover to a management consortium for £10. However, MG Rover went out of business in 2005. The Rover name was sold by BMW to Ford for around £10 million (around $16 million) in 2006, which sold the marque along with Land Rover and Jaguar to India’s Tata Motors in 2008.

Saab: 99 (1968)

The 99 marked the beginning of a new chapter in Saab’s history. The Swedish brand ditched the 92-inspired design of earlier cars in favor of a more contemporary look characterized by a wrap-around windscreen, while a Triumph-sourced four-cylinder engine relegated the 96’s DKW-derived two-stroke engine to the history book once and for all.

The 1978 Turbo remains the best-known evolution of the 99. It paved the way for every high-performance Saab from then on.

So what happened to Saab?

Saab was fully acquired by General Motors in 2000. Saab was sold to Spyker in 2010, but ceased making cars in 2011. A Chinese firm called NEVS then bought Saab’s automotive assets, but it seems that the brand won’t be used on any vehicles; this is a complex area since the Saab name is still used by a military aircraft maker; Saab cars and aircraft were under the same ownership until 1990.

Saturn: SL (1990)

Saturn illustrated how it planned to operate as a different kind of car company when it launched the SL in 1990 as a 1991 model. The model looked like nothing else in the General Motors portfolio thanks in part to a grille-less front end, it was built on a brand-specific platform, and it was manufactured in a new assembly plant located in Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Even odder were the SL’s plastic body panels, which were chosen because they were lighter, more durable, and cheaper than steel parts. Saturn’s unique approach to taking on Japanese carmakers initially paid off. It built its 500,000th car in September 1993 and it sold 229,356 cars that year.

So what happened to Saturn?

The problem arguably started from literally day two. GM CEO Roger Smith championed Saturn, but retired the day after it was officially launched. Later bosses showed much less interest commitment to it, and the cars gradually lost their identity as they became sister cars to those from other GM brands. It was closed in early 2010 along with several other GM brands.

Simca: 1000 Rallye (1970)

Abarth applied its magic to the Simca 1000, but it’s the three Rallye versions that replaced Renaults and NSUs in the heart of enthusiasts seeking rear-biased driving thrills. The 1000 was the ideal base for a high-performance saloon aimed at buyers on a budget. The first two editions of the Rallye were hot-rodded production cars, but the 102bhp Rallye 3 was a full-blown street-legal race car released for homologation purposes. All three models are still widely used in hill climb events today.

So what happened to Simca?

Simca was bought by Chrysler in 1970, and then PSA Peugeot-Citroën in 1979, and the badge died thereafter in favour of Talbot.

Studebaker: Avanti (1962)

Developed in response to the Chevrolet Corvette, the Avantis was designed by Raymond Loewy and had a body made out of fiberglass and dropped on a modified Studebaker Lark chassis. Studebaker built about 5800 examples of the Avanti before it shut down for good, but five different entrepreneurs took turns building the car until 2006.

So what happened to Studebaker?

Studebaker found it increasingly hard to compete with the Detroit giants, and production at its main South Bend factory ceased in 1963, though operations continued at the company’s Canadian plant until 1966. The name is today owned by Federal-Mogul, a car parts firm.

Sunbeam: Tiger (1964)

Originally formed in 1901, Sunbeam disappeared after 1935, but was revived in some style in 1953 with the pretty and successful Alpine – which was perfectly timed for the 1950s American open-top sports car wave.

Wanting more power, Sunbeam enlisted Carroll Shelby to help fit a 164bhp 4.3-litre Ford V8 into the car. Twice as powerful as the Alpine but only marginally heavier, the car was a scintillating hit, shifting over 7000 examples in just three years.

So what happened to Sunbeam?

Already part of the Rootes Group, Rootes was absorbed by Chrysler and then Peugeot. The Sunbeam name disappeared in 1981.

Tatra: 613 (1974)

Like Porsche’s 911, the Tatra 613 retained its rear-engined configuration well after the layout went out of fashion. It shared this configuration with its predecessor, the 603, but its styling came to life on a blank sheet of paper. In an unlikely tie-up, Czechoslovakia-based Tatra enlisted the help of Italy’s Vignale to forge a new design identity more in-tune with the times.

It’s remembered as one of the most prestigious cars to come out of the Soviet-era Eastern Europe. You didn’t want to see it parked up in front of your house at two in the morning as it was a favourite of the KGB and its Warsaw Pact counterpart organisations.

So what happened to Tatra?

It stopped making cars in 1999, but carries on as small-scale truck maker, and as such is the second-oldest vehicle producer in Europe after Peugeot, the Tatra company having been formed all the way back in 1850, when it produced horse-drawn carriages.

Talbot: Samba Cabriolet (1982)

Based on one of the cheapest cars in Europe, the Talbot Samba Cabriolet gave young, cash-strapped motorists a way to go topless without breaking the bank. It also attempted to provide the Talbot brand its own image by separating the Samba from the Peugeot 104 and the Citroën LNA it shared a platform with.

So what happened to Talbot?

When PSA bought Chrysler Europe in 1979, it used the Talbot badge on former Chrysler and Simca models. The Talbot name continued on cars until 1987, and on vans until 1994.

Triumph: Stag (1970)

While some would choose Triumph’s successful and pretty line of TR sports roadsters from the ‘50s and ‘60s, we reckon the Stag deserves more credit as the British V8-powered would-be answer to the Mercedes SL. Moodily handsome though blighted by reliability issues, it was a nice drive when it worked.

So what happened to Triumph?

Triumph was run down by owners British Leyland, and the oddball TR7 was the last car developed in-house. That was followed by the 1981 Honda Ballade-based Triumph Acclaim (pictured), and the name ended in 1984. However, someone in Munich has a long memory: intriguingly, the Triumph Cars name today belongs to BMW, a relic of the firm’s Rover ownership but retained when it sold that firm. Triumph and BMW went head-to-head in the small sports saloon market in the 1970s in Europe.

Vespa: 400 (1957)

Known internationally for scooters, the Italian brand dipped its toes in the automotive pond when it introduced one of the smallest cars on the European market at a high-profile event in Monaco. The 400 competed in the same handkerchief-sized arena as the Goggomobil and the Fiat 500, which hit the market just a few months before its Vespa-badged rival. The 400 – an allusion to its 393cc engine – was manufactured in France. One and done, Vespa never built another car.

So what happened to Vespa?

Nothing, in a word. Vespa continues to make motor scooters; its parent company Piaggio sold 436,000 two-wheeled machines in 2023 using a variety of brands which also include Aprilia and Moto Guzzi.

Forgotten American Cars That Deserved Much More Love

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 12:41:08 +0100

Forgotten American Cars That Deserved Much More Love

It often seems like a new model of car comes out practically every day.

With all the autos in the world, it’s no wonder that a few models slip through the cracks and get lost to time. Some cars deserve to be forgotten, but others deserve better. In this slideshow, we will showcase some of the American automotive jewels that have been practically erased from memory. From the avant-garde Stout Scarab to the high-performance Ford Contour SVT, we will re-discover and re-appreciate 40 of these fine cars.

Chrysler Airflow

The Chrysler Airflow was a pioneer in automobile design. It was the first full-size American production car to use aerodynamics in order to reduce air resistance, resulting in a smooth and streamlined body.

Unfortunately, the design was not well received. The Airflow was only produced for a few short years, from 1934 to 1937, before it was discontinued due to low sales. It remains an obscure model today – but also a trailblazer.

Stout Scarab

The Scarab of 1936 is, according to some, the very first production minivan. Its interior layout, with movable seats and a folding table, even predicted many of the typical interior layouts of modern minivans.

The high cost and unconventional design of the Scarab made it quite inaccessible to the general car-buying public of the time. Only nine units were ever built, along with one concept car, leading the car into obscurity for many years.

Dodge Wayfarer

A few years before the release of the Chevrolet Corvette, Dodge introduced America to the first 2-door roadster produced domestically since World War II. The Wayfarer was produced for only a few short years, from 1949 to 1952.

The Wayfarer was a basic, no-frills model, with some roadster variants not even receiving side windows or top weather protection. These factors, along with the emergence of the aforementioned Corvette, are what vastly overshadowed the historical significance of the Wayfarer.

Studebaker Speedster

The Speedster was a high-performance two-door personal luxury car, and a spinoff from the President sedan. Its 4.2-liter V8 engine could produce 185 hp. It was a standout in the Studebaker lineup for its full complement of advanced accessories, including power steering and diamond-quilted leather seating.

The Speedstar was most recognized in its 2-tone yellow and green paint job, known colloquially as “lemon/lime.” Only 2215 Speedsters were produced, making them extremely rare today; produced for the 1955 model year only, making the Speedster one of the shortest production runs in US auto history.

Nash Metropolitan

Probably the cutest car to come out of the 1950s, the Nash Metropolitan was known for its tiny, almost toy-like dimensions, and two-tone paint scheme. Along with the Dodge La Femme, the Metropolitan was one of the first cars specifically marketed to women.

The Metropolitan was unfortunately overshadowed, quite literally, by the larger and more popular cars of the day. Still, the Metropolitan was a pioneer in the subcompact car category, offering an efficient, and affordable automobile in a small package.

Studebaker Lark

In the larger context of American cars, the Studebaker Lark stands out as an innovative early example of the compact segment. Produced from 1959 to 1966, the Lark was the first car of its size to be available with a V8 engine, but it was fuel efficient to boot with less lard to haul around.

Despite its affordability, practicality, and efficiency, the Lark was never as popular as Big Three compacts like the Ford Falcon, Plymouth Valiant and Chevrolet Corvair. Like many of Studebaker’s cars, it was forgotten when the company finally went out of business in 1966.

Kaiser Darrin

This 1950s two-seater was one of the first American cars with a complete fiberglass body. No, we’re not talking about the Chevrolet Corvette, who’s release just a year prior largely overshadowed this rival roadster. We’re talking about the Kaiser Darrin.

The Darrin was a beautiful car, its long-and=low profile was accented by some quirky features, such as a unique grill design and sliding doors that retracted into the front fender wells. Unfortunately, it was only produced for 1954, with a grand total of 435 units, before Kaiser was forced to drop the model.

Studebaker Avanti

It set 29 world speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats, and it still wasn’t enough to save Studebaker from going under. Less than 5,000 were ever produced, making them exceptionally rare.

Despite being one of Studebaker’s biggest sales flops, 1962’s Avanti was ahead of its time with a lightweight fiberglass body and an aerodynamic shape. These factors, paired with a supercharged V8 under the hood are what made the Avanti so lightning quick.

Buick Wildcat

The Wildcat was never as famous as its Skylark, GNX, or Riviera siblings. However, it did have strong performance in its own right, featuring powerful V8 engines like the 401 ci Nailhead. The Wildcat was produced at the height of the muscle car era, from 1963 to 1970. It was even offered as a convertible, an option rarely found among the ilk at the time.

Unfortunately, even that was not enough to save the Wildcat from being overshadowed by more popular cars in the class.

Picture: 1969 Wildcat

Studebaker Wagonaire

The Wagonaire was a Studebaker station wagon — with a catch. The Wagonaire featured a retractable rear roof section, which could slide forward to create an open cargo area.

The innovative design of the 1963 Wagonaire was unfortunately met with some production problems, and some customers reported that the sliding roof was prone to leaks. This was quickly fixed by the factory, but it was too little too late, especially in the light of Studebaker’s failing image and faltering business.

Rambler/AMC Marlin

Produced from 1965 to 1967, the AMC Marlin was originally badged under the Rambler marque. Known for its distinctive fastback roofline, spacious six-passenger seating, and powerful V8 engine options, the Marlin checked all the right boxes to compete in the burgeoning personal luxury car market.

Unfortunately, the Marlin had some stiff competition from the Big Three automakers and was only produced for a brief time. Yet, the Rambler’s legacy is not completely lost to time, as it heavily influenced the design of the 2004 Chrysler Crossfire.

Mercury S-55

The Mercury S-55 was a high-performance full-size muscle car produced from 1962 to 1963, and again from 1966 to 1967. The S-55 offered drivers a luxurious yet powerful driving experience, with engine options like the 406 ci V8 pushing 405 hp. It also included bucket seats and upgraded suspension components.

The availability of the S-55 was very limited compared to more popular luxury sport coupes like the Ford Galaxie 500XL or Chrysler 300H. Despite all this, the S-55 is a great example of some of the best that the muscle car era had to offer.

Jeep Jeepster Commando

The Jeepster Commando was designed to offer a more comfortable and stylish alternative to traditional Jeep models. During its 1966 to 1973 production run, the Jeepster Commando was available as a convertible, pickup, and a wagon.

There was even a Hurst Jeepster version available for 1971, complete with a number of performance modifications. The Jeepster Commando was popular in its day, but it is largely overshadowed by its successor, the Jeep Cherokee.

Pontiac Executive

Despite its deluxe features and powerful engine, the Executive (which launched in 1967) struck an odd middle ground. It was not quite as luxurious as the Bonneville, nor as performance-oriented as the Firebird, GTO, or Tempest, leading it into relative market obscurity.

That’s unfair since the Pontiac Executive was one of the most powerful full-size luxury cars at the time, with a 7.5-liter V8 producing 370 hp and a healthy 500 lb-ft of torque.

AMC AMX

The “American Motors Experimental” was a two-seater GT known for its significantly lower price compared to other muscle cars from the same era. That didn’t mean the AMX held back: the available 6.4L V8 produced 315 hp and could accelerate from 0 to 60 in 6.6 seconds.

Once more, this AMC car was overshadowed by competitors from the Big Three. Coupled with its short production run lasting only from 1968 to 1970, the AMX has only recently been rediscovered by collectors, although it still represents pretty good value, with prices starting around $30,000.

Hurst SC/Rambler

This special version of the Rambler American was a high-performance muscle car produced in 1969 as a collaboration between AMC and Hurst Performance. Each SC/Rambler was equipped with a 390 ci V8 producing 315 hp, among other Hurst performance modifications. The car also had a patriotic red, white, and blue paint scheme.

The SC/Rambler’s 0-60 time of 6.3 seconds made it competitive with other muscle cars of the era, but it didn’t quite stand out enough in the looks department. This, along with its short production run, is why the Hurst SC/Rambler is largely forgotten today.

Plymouth Duster

The Duster (which launched in 1970) was never a huge sales success for Plymouth, as it was always overshadowed by its more popular stablemate, the Barracuda. Still, the Duster was a great muscle car in its own right, and featured powerful engine options like the 340 V8. It was intended to compete with other small semi-fastbacks like the AMC Hornet and Ford Maverick.

The high-performance “Twister” variant of the Duster was originally intended to have Taz the Tasmanian Devil as its logo. However, the logo was dropped after negotiations with Warner Bros failed.

Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II

This limited-production version of the Mercury Cyclone muscle car was specifically designed for NASCAR racing during the competition’s iconic “aero car” days. Though never as popular as the Plymouth Superbird or Dodge Charger Daytona, the Cyclone Spoiler II (which first arrived in early 1969) had its own set of performance and aerodynamic enhancements that put up a good fight.

Mercury built 503 units to meet homologation rules, but by some accounts, they never even made that many. Rumor has it that Mercury only had 351 units ready by the deadline, so they couched 152 regular production Cyclones between the Spoiler IIs in the parking lot; NASCAR’s inspectors were none the wiser.

Ford Maverick

No, not that Ford Maverick. We’re talking about the 1970s compact, which was positioned somewhere between a Mustang and a Pinto. It initially sold very well, even outpacing Mustang sales in 1970. Unfortunately, its “middle child” status did not do it many favors in terms of longevity.

Also, Ford has recycled the Maverick name many times across different markets, most recently with the compact pickup unveiled in 2021, further watering down the memory of the initial model.

Picture: 1976 Ford Maverick 2-door sedan

Stutz Blackhawk

The Stutz Blackhawk (which began in 1971) was one of the most extravagant and egregious examples of neo-classic design. Whether you agree with the design or not, the Blackhawk was ultra-luxurious, with an interior that included 24-carat gold plated trim, mink carpeting, and a liquor cabinet.

The list of high-profile owners is extensive, and included Elvis Presley, Lucille Ball, and Elton John. The car has faded from public consciousness because of its niche market and the obscurity of the Stutz brand in the larger automotive landscape.

Chevrolet Chevelle Laguna

The Laguna made up a very small number of the total third generation Chevelles, making them quite rare and forgotten today. One of the key innovations of the Laguna was its urethane front end, allowing it to meet safety regulations without a massive blocky bumper, which most 70s cars were forced to adopt and ruined many a car in the process.

The Laguna received favorable reviews in its 1973 launch year for its blend of luxury and modest performance. It even carried a few drivers to NASCAR victory, aided by its 7.4-liter V8 producing 245 hp.

Oldsmobile Omega

Many people will remember the Chevrolet Nova, but not many will remember the upscale Oldsmobile variant, known as the Omega. Produced from 1973 to 1984, the Omega was available as a coupe, sedan, or hatchback.

The first two generations of the Omega featured all of the best elements of the Nova, including standard radial tires and front disc brakes, along with Oldsmobile upgrades. The trademark Oldsmobile waterfall grille, for instance, upgraded the Omega’s class, as did interior woodgrain trim. The mark three Omega unfortunately left a sour taste, and after multiple recalls, the model was pushed from the public’s mind.

Picture: 1975 Omega Salon

Ford Elite

Originally the highest trim level of the Gran Torino, the Elite was in production as its own standalone model for only two years. Between 1974 and 1976, Ford attempted to market the Elite in the flourishing personal luxury car market.

The Elite had a whole host of standard luxury features, as well as distinct styling and a unique opera window design. Unfortunately, the personal luxury car market was saturated by the mid 70s, and the Elite was never as popular as competitors such as the Buick Electra or Oldsmobile 98. This, along with its short production run, have made the Elite a forgotten car.

Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia

This highest-trim version of the Mercury Monarch luxury sedan offered upscale features in a compact, changing the long-standing American association with large cars and opulence. 60% Ford executives chose it as their personal car, including Henry Ford II.

The Grand Monarch Ghia was only produced for two years, after which it was badge engineered as the Lincoln Versailles. Unlike its Mercury counterpart, the Versailles was highly controversial and not well received, forever clouding the memory of the Grand Monarch Ghia.

Chrysler Cordoba

The Chrysler Cordoba peaked when Ricardo Montalban touted its “soft Corinthian leather” in a famous TV commercial. The Mexican actor’s alluring pronunciation was the subject of much imitation over the next few years, but the car itself, although a successful model at the time, is not well remembered these days.

This personal luxury car was produced from 1975 to 1983, and apart from its rich Corinthian leather, also featured opera windows and a long stylish hood, underneath of which was a standard V8 engine and a smooth-shifting automatic transmission. The Cordoba, like many other cars of the mid 70s and 80s, is often forgotten, as it was produced at a time when American cars were known for being over-large and fuel-inefficient, and not very well-made too. Still, the Cordoba deserved better.

Pontiac Phoenix

Introduced in 1977, the Phoenix provided a great blend of style, reliability, and comfort. At least, this was the case for the Mark I Phoenix, which was based on the Pontiac Ventura. It also offered some great performance options and powerful engines, including the 140 hp LG3 V8.

The Mark II unfortunately marred the badge’s good name, with multiple recalls ruining the Phoenix’s reputation. It was replaced after five years by a revived Grand Am.

Imperial by Chrysler

After a long hiatus, the top-of-the-line Imperial marque was revived in 1980, this time without the Chrysler name attached to it. The Imperial was a more compact personal luxury car for the new decade, complete with luxurious features and a distinctive bustle-back styling reminiscent of classic Rolls-Royces.

The Imperial even had Frank Sinatra as its spokesperson, with the special “fs” trim bearing his initials. It was a good car, but released at entirely the wrong time, right in the midst of an economic downturn and soaring gas prices. The Imperial was only produced from 1980 to 1983.

Ford EXP Turbo Coupe

To date, the EXP is the last two-seater compact car that Ford has ever produced in the US. Available for the 1982 to 1988 model years, the EXP was a distinctly styled sports coupe based on the Escort. Its headlight design was inspired by the Mk1 Thunderbird.

While the base model was a bit underpowered, the turbo version bumped the output up to 120 hp and 120 lb-ft of torque. While this made it a fun little car, the EXP Turbo was never as popular as imports like the Honda CR-X or even domestic competitors like the Pontiac Fiero. Couple that with its short production run, and it's no wonder the EXP is largely forgotten and under-appreciated.

Dodge Lancer Shelby

Not to be confused with the Mitsubishi model, this Dodge compact car produced from 1985 to 1989 was essentially a rebadged version of the Chrysler LeBaron GTS. However, the Lancer had a few performance variants that set it apart. The most notable of these was the Shelby performance package.

800 Dodge Lancer Shelbys were produced at the Shelby factory, followed by 487 more once Chrysler took over their production in 1988. These upgraded compacts featured shorter springs, quicker steering, upgraded sway bars, and comfort features like leather seats and a CD player. The upgraded Turbo II engine put out 175 hp. Here’s Carroll Shelby himself promoting the model, which deserves to be better remembered today.

Chevrolet Beretta

You wouldn’t expect a two-door budget coupe to be designed in the same studio as the Camaro and the Corvette, but that’s exactly the case with the Chevrolet Beretta. The GTU, GTZ and Z26 Models of this sporty compact car were known for their modest performance. It was even the official pace car of the 1990 Indy 500.

The Beretta’s sales figures weren’t bad either, with 1988 being by-far the best year for the car. However, the Beretta is simply not as collectible or memorable as other cars of the era, and is forgotten from many people’s minds.

Eagle Premier

The Premier was the final offspring of the collaboration between AMC and Renault, and was sold under the new Eagle marque after Chrysler’s acquisition of AMC in 1988. Like all the offerings from the short-lived Eagle brand, the Premier is not well-remembered today. Yet, it is a historically significant car, as the last model with roots in AMC.

This elegant and understated car featured an incredibly spacious interior as well as a number of advanced features. Among them were automatic variable-speed windshield wipers that detected the amount of rain.

Buick Reatta

GM had a nice run of sporty two-seaters in the late 80s and early 90s with the Pontiac Fiero and Cadillac Allante. Buick’s contribution was the Reatta, a zippy GT produced from 1988 to 1991. The Reatta featured some of the signature features of the 1980s, such as pop-up headlights and a digital dashboard, not to mention Bose surround sound.

However, many would-be customers flocked to its sister-brand competitors or to foreign imports like the Lexus SC. While Buick had initially intended to sell 20,000 Reattas annually, it only sold slightly more than that over its entire four year run.

Dodge Spirit R/T

The R/T of 1991 was marketed as “the fastest sedan made in America” for good reason. Its turbocharged 2.2-liter engine designed by Lotus produced 224 hp and 217 lb ft of torque.

The Dodge Spirit was only available as the R/T for two years, which was hardly enough time for the sedan to leave a mark. It was also much more understated than competitors like the BMW M5.

Vector W8

Vector Aeromotive introduced the stunning W2 concept in 1978, but it would be more than 10 years until a production version was finally available. 22 examples of the W8 were produced from 1989 to 1993.

The W8 was a futuristic dream, complete with aircraft-style controls, lots of carbon fiber and kevlar, and the coupe-de-gras, a twin-turbocharged V8 producing over 600 hp, and it reportedly once clocked 242mph at Bonneville. Unfortunately, its limited production run and unreliability led it to obscurity.

GMC Typhoon

Boxy performance SUVs are all the rage nowadays, which is why the GMC Typhoon deserves a comeback. After all, it ticks all the same boxes as a Ranger Rover — plush interior, AWD performance, great handling, and an impressive 0-60 time of 5.3 seconds.

Underneath, the Typhoon is essentially just a GMC Syclone pickup with an SUV body kit and a turbocharger. It was only in production for two years, with a total of 4697 units, which is why they are both rare and obscure these days.

Eagle Vision

After Chrysler’s acquisition of Lamborghini, the company made the interesting decision to manufacture a sedan inspired by the innovative “cab forward” design of the Lamborghini Portofino concept. What followed was the Eagle Vision, a full-size luxury car available from 1992 to 1997.

The Eagle Vision not only had a spacious interior due to its design, but it also featured European-inspired suspension and a powerful 3.5-liter V6 engine. The Eagle brand was short-lived, and the Vision is largely forgotten today.

Oldsmobile Achieva SCX

Oldsmobile always had a hard time balancing their image between sensible family offerings and high-octane performance. The Achieva SCX was one of the times that Oldsmobile got it right. During its production from 1992 to 1998, the Achieva SCX was the most powerful and best handling compact car in Oldsmobile’s lineup. It featured performance modifications such as wide tires, aluminum wheels, upgraded suspension, and a naturally-aspirated inline four pushing 190 hp.

This was enough to make the SCX competitive in the SCCA Grand-Am World Challenge and IMSA Firehawk. These days, the Achieva is relegated to “grandma car” in most people’s memories, like most of Oldsmobile’s other 90s offerings.

Ford Contour SVT

Produced from 1998 to 2000, this high-performance variant of the Contour sedan, developed by Ford’s Special Vehicle Team, featured a specially turned 2.5-liter V6 engine and sport suspension. The upgrades allowed the Contour SVT to churn out 195 hp and reach 60 mph in 7.5 seconds. What’s even better, it was only available as a 5-speed manual.

The contour was never a big sales success. Consequently, not many people have heard of the Contour, let alone the SVT version.

Saleen S7

This hand-built supercar was debuted in 2000 by Saleen Automotive Inc. The S7 features a lightweight chassis made from aluminum and carbon fiber, along with a 7.0-liter V8 engine producing 550 hp. Later models produced up to 750 hp and a top speed of 248 mph.

While the Saleen S7 was a great example of American supercar engineering, and deserves to be remembered for its world-class performance and striking design, it has unfortunately been overshadowed by better established supercar brands.

Commuter Cars Tango T600

An 800 hp machine, accelerating from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, and a top speed of 150 mph. Bet you didn’t see that coming from this ultra-narrow electric microcar. Only 12 units of the Tango T600 were ever made, with George Clooney becoming the first owner of one back in 2005. Despite the high-profile customer, the Tango never took off because of its high cost and lack of practicality, making it unlikely that you’ll be smoked by one of these any time soon.

Still, it deserves to be remembered for its insane performance stats, let alone its attempts at solving urban congestion.

MG to preview new small EV at Goodwood Festival of Speed

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 11:01:39 +0100

Concept car will provide a first look at the MG 2 supermini, due in showrooms next year

MG will preview the design of its forthcoming electric supermini with a new concept car that's due to be unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Teaser images released by MG showcase the front and rear flanks of the hatchback, hinting at a fresh design language distinct from recent models such as the 4 EV Urban and S5 EV.

A production version of the concept will arrive in showrooms next year, MG has confirmed. As previously reported by Autocar, it's expected to be called the MG 2.

MG Motor UK boss David Allison last year told Autocar that the 2 is “the obvious area of the market that’s next to happen” for the Chinese brand.

He suggested that MG is refocusing on value for money rather than offering the outright cheapest option in each class it enters.

He said: “I think we have moved on. Not consciously, but other brands and other products have come in that are the cheapest.

“If you look at the price of the Dacia Spring and you look at the price of the Leapmotors, that’s not the space we occupy, and I don't necessarily think it will be the space that we can occupy.

"I think our ethos has always been about value. You know, it has not necessarily been about being the cheapest; it has been about providing the most that we can for the best value for money.

“The ZS is [Nissan] Qashqai-sized, but it's Juke money. And I dare say we will see something similar with the 2.”

Autocar understands the 2 will be based on the same Modular Scalable Platform as the 4 EV, meaning it's likely to be rear-wheel-drive.

Alongside the supermini concept, MG will show a “design vision” of an “aspirational” model at the Festival of Speed. This too will be electric, but further details are yet to emerge.

BYD Dolphin G

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0100

Chinese giant takes on the Renault Clio with a made-for-Europe plug-in hybrid hatchback Perhaps no news story better reflects the surreal time we currently live in than the recent report that Iran was planning to deploy a pod of kamikaze dolphins in the Strait of Hormuz. Yes, apparently the seemingly lovable aquatic mammals can be trained to act as game-changing offensive weapons. And you thought Flipper looked so innocent.Maybe they got the idea from the BYD Dolphin G, because while this might look like a friendly new hatchback, it has actually been conceived by the Chinese giant as a potent weapon with a clear porpoise – sorry, purpose: to sink rivals in the huge European small car segment.The new Renault Clio and Toyota Yaris rival is the first BYD model developed specifically for Europe and becomes the only B-segment hatchback on the market with a plug-in hybrid powertrains. And a target price of £23,000 to £25,000 could help torpedo some rivals.Expanding its PHEV technology into smaller segments is a new trend for BYD: it recently retrofitted the related Atto 2 electric crossover with its 'Super Hybrid' technology.Executive vice-president Stella Li insists that the firm can only do so thanks to its advanced PHEV technology, which is packaged smaller than rivals, and on paper it is compelling.

Britain's Best Driver's Car 2026: Porsche 911 GT3 Touring

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0100

The spectacular 911 GT3 is the first ever car to win our Handling Day contest three times

Bad weather, an unfamiliar circuit and equally unknown public roads made Autocar's annual Britain's Best Driver's Car (BBDC) shootout divisive in 2025. It's a good job the adjudicating testers aren't like a trial jury, then, needing to come to a unanimous verdict before being let out of the pit lane.

There can be no deadlock at 'Handling Day': everyone has their say, casts their own scores, and the voting system unfailingly settles on a winner. And last November, in the Cumbrian damp of M-Sport's Dovenby Hall test track and its surrounding roads, it promoted an old master to the top step of the podium one more time.

The 992.2-generation Porsche 911 GT3 Touring was an outside bet to scoop the big prize in some ways. It wasn't among the competition's top ranks in terms of price, power or accelerative performance. It didn't have the 12-cylinder pomp of the Ferrari 12Cilindri, Lamborghini Revuelto or Aston Martin Vanquish. It didn't have a thousand hybrid horsepower or asymmetrical torque vectoring via synapse-quick electric motors.

It was run close by a defending champion, in the shape of McLaren's excellent and assured Artura PHEV supercar. But, in the end, the GT3 rose higher than them all. It used its unmatched powers of analogue simplicity and predictability, of tactility and communication, and its three pedals and manual gearbox to carve through sodden conditions, to make its more technically complex rivals seem overcomplicated and to put our testers at sufficient ease to enjoy themselves. Only one of the five judges scored it anywhere other than either clear first or joint first - so even if we had needed unanimity, chances are the arguing wouldn't have taken all that long.

Should we have been surprised? Well, on the day, and with such a strong field of newer rivals, we certainly were but on the basis of recent BBDC history, we certainly shouldn't have been.

Cars qualify for the BBDC starting grid by being either wholly or partly (but meaningfully) new from a material point of view and also being among Autocar's favourite 10 driver's cars of the year. By that standard, the 992.1-generation GT3 qualified in 2021 by being all-new and brilliant to drive and it duly won. Then it won again in 2022, as the defending champion, because the year's winner always comes back by default.

Except when it doesn't. In 2023, we found ourselves in a quandary and ultimately opted to include the box-fresh GT3 RS in place of the 'regular' GT3, because having two GT3s on the BBDC starting grid seemed heinously unfair on everyone else. The technically correct thing to do, perhaps, but not the right thing. And then the Anglesey rain fell - and fell and fell - and the RS was outdone by the Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato.

Had we denied Porsche the first three-time consecutive champion in almost four decades of unbroken BBDC history, effectively on a technicality? Had the 992 GT3 been robbed of its rightful, exceptional status? And if so, by what? The British weather? Its own success and fecundity? We will never know.

In 2024, the new, GT3-adjacent S/T qualified for our annual shootout, only to fail to appear as the result of a last-minute safety recall concerning its centre-lock wheels.

All of which means GT3s of some description have entirely legitimately qualified for four of the past five editions of BBDC; have won three of them; and might well, if things had worked out only slightly differently, have strolled the entire lot.

It's not a stretch to imagine how that could have happened: the GT3 is just that good. In 2025 it got in because it deserved to, thanks to new suspension hardware, new wheel geometry, new steering tuning, revisions to its 503bhp atmospheric flat six and shorter gearing. And in the end, nobody could contend that it wasn't worth the glory.

So the awesome 992 GT3 has gone down in Autocar history as the first-ever three-time BBDC champion - finally, controversially and very deservingly indeed.

Fiat's resurgence: inside the brand's long road to a rapid recovery

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Fiat is finally back on the up – thanks to ideas its CEO had wanted to pursue since 2011

Were it not for several big misunderstandings and a few close brushes with the axe, Olivier François would never have become Fiat's CEO.

The Frenchman, now renowned for his marketing expertise, admits he knew little about the subject when he first got into the car business. Nor did he really understand cars themselves. His first love was music: he is married to Italian pop star Arianna Bergamaschi; is close friends with reggae legend Shaggy; and holds the distinction of having helped organise the first-ever concert in the Vatican City. And although he once hid it from his bosses, François now admits that he has even published his own poetry book.

But through sheer willpower and a scarcely believable knack for making the best of a bad lot, he has clawed his way right to the very top of the car business.

Bloomberg once called François "Chrysler's Don Draper"; today he is the winner of Autocar's 2026 Editors' Award - given to an individual who has had the greatest impact on success in their company - for bringing Fiat back to rude health after decades on the brink.

The Italian brand is finally on the path back to growth in Europe, with its strongest product line up in decades. The Grande Panda is tantamount to making wine from water, transforming the austere Vauxhall Frontera into something wholly more desirable. The 500 finally has its much-needed petrol engine back. And waiting in the wings is a pair of clever new Panda-inspired family cars, named Grizzly, to replace the drab Tipo.

Yet Fiat's phoenix-like return to prominence isn't the sudden about-turn it may seem. François was appointed CEO of the brand back in 2011, at the behest of Sergio Marchionne.

François recalls a slide deck that he presented to the legendarily stern future FCA boss in those first few weeks at the helm: "I said to Sergio: 'I don't think we should do that car, we should do this and that.' A whole line-up is still on my old computer. One was like the Grande Panda 15 years ago. You would say: 'A-ha!'" But it wasn't until FCA merged with PSA to form Stellantis in 2021 that he actually got the resources to put these plans into action.

François' first steps into the car industry most certainly weren't stable. His rise began in 2001, having landed a job in charge of Citroën Italy.

The contemporary C2 and C3 had unfulfilled potential and he was charged with realising it. So he set to work on what he now does most effectively - but which he admits he then had little clue about - developing bespoke marketing campaigns for the Italian market.

His bosses were dumbfounded and, nine months in, summoned him to Paris as Citroën's market share failed to cross the 3% target they had set. Only timing salvaged his first brush with the axe: "That same month I was at 3.1%, so the conversation never took place."

François' work in getting Citroën to a "crazy" Italian market share of 7.4% earned him the attention of Fiat Group bosses. He says: "I had two big [fears]: one, maybe they want to remove a problem, to exfiltrate me from where I am. Two, Fiat wasn't a good company to work with, because they were in bad shape. It doesn't sound politically correct today, but it was the truth. It was a very dark period."

Enter Marchionne: "Sergio called me. I didn't know who he was, and I would probably never have gone to the interview, except that he called me for a very unexpected reason. He told me: 'You're a great guy, but let's speak poetry.' I thought that if my bosses in France had known about that, I would have lost the credibility I had left. But he found out and he loved it, and that's how he convinced me."

François was placed in charge of the Lancia brand, but it wasn't an easy gig: "Lancia was supposed to be shut down, and [Marchionne's] point was 'let's see what this crazy, artistically minded guy with some marketing competencies can do to change my mind.'"

François explains that you can assess the robustness of a car maker on how many models it can afford to get wrong: "Sometimes you mess up one car, you're dead; sometimes two cars; sometimes three cars.

"The weakness of [the Fiat Group] was that, a few years earlier, it was two cars away and then the Lancia Thesis was one of these two cars. Fiat was two cars away from disaster and a Lancia was one of them. In that moment, when you become the CEO of Lancia, you are not the most popular guy. You come to the boardroom with an investment proposal and they look at you like: 'Are you kidding?'"

François burnt himself almost immediately: "I came in saying: 'We're going to do the new Delta Integrale, the new Stratos, and I'll show you how.'" His bosses were unimpressed.

Yet he looks back on yet another brush with the axe with a smile: "Any brand CEO has to be a bullshitter, because you are the advocate of your brand; you need to show your brand in a positive light. You can't totally fool your audience, because they are good at business as well. So I was advocating for some things that were objectively risky. That went really badly."

The ensuing rethink birthed the Lancia we have known for the past decade, with its range of chic, rebodied Fiats (the 500-based Ypsilon and Bravo-based Delta) plus, following the creation of FCA, a few rebadged Chryslers to boot. Sure, Lancia has lost the lustre it had through the 20th century, but it still exists.

"It was a misunderstanding," says François, "because I thought that Sergio wanted me to be the one relaunching Lancia in all its glory, spending billions and so on. I will never go into posterity as a guy who revived the Stratos and the Delta Integrale. You never receive an award for killing a brand: if you lead a brand, the minimum thing you do is to not [kill it]. But in my case, it was meant to disappear."

With Lancia saved, Marchionne set François to work on salvaging Chrysler - with only the aged Sebring left in the line-up. The Crossfire had just been killed, the PT Cruiser was on its way out, the Aspen (a big SUV with a forward-thinking hybrid powertrain) was "totally dead" and the 300C was about to go on hiatus.

With just $64 million in the bank, "I put $20m on a Super Bowl commercial and $44m on fixing the Sebring's looks", renaming it the 200. The result was a sales increase of 6000% - yes, six thousand - between the last year of the Sebring and the first year of the 200. Meanwhile, the ad starring rapper Eminem won an Emmy Award.

With two FCA hits on his hands, François finally got the nod to lead the Fiat brand - the "cash cow" - in 2011. He immediately set to work on a plan: "I showed Sergio the equivalent of the Stratos and Delta, but one of the first things [I did] was to stop the next Punto. There was a new one in the works and it was not very good-looking; it was not interesting.

"The people [were furious], saying 'this guy comes out of nowhere and it was a year away from launch'. But when people tell me 'I will do the new X, Y and Z', I always ask them why. What is its unique purpose? If that car didn't exist, why should it be invented? If you're not able to answer that question, don't do it."

And so the foundation of the new Fiat was laid, with a range of cute yet purposeful city slickers. But you know what they say about the best-laid plans: although François had a clear vision in his head of what the brand needed, "by the time I presented my projects, it was always a Jeep, a Dodge, a Ram that needed funding [within FCA]. Rightfully so, but every time Sergio said no I was heartbroken. We just spent it on a new Pacifica, a new Compass, a new whatever. Fiat had to wait and wait and wait. I've been waiting."

You get a sense from talking to François that the 2010s were something of a lost decade for Fiat. The Panda and 500 kept the brand ticking over, while the assortment of Punto-based offshoots - 500X, 500L and Tipo - found occasional, if limited, success. His ambition was ultimately limited by how few cars FCA could afford to get wrong.

The momentum began to shift upon the formation of Stellantis. "I've been educated in starving", he says, but now he can see "an oasis - and I'm making the most of it".

François gives much credit to Carlos Tavares, the ousted founding CEO of Stellantis, in finally making his vision for Fiat a reality: "My babies from 2011 have matured with new platforms - Smart Car - and new engines, but they have been enabled by the Stellantis merger. Everything you see today has been blessed by Carlos."

François admits to a couple of missteps along the way: "We presented the 600 too early, we presented the Topolino too early, even the Grande Panda, and then you say: 'Where are they?'"

Meanwhile, the electric 500e wasn't the true replacement for the enormously popular 500 that Fiat had hoped, but it did provide a platform on which to build a new and vastly more modern petrol model. And François' "baby", the Grande Panda, is at last in showrooms around the world.

With those foundations laid, François excitedly awaits the return to prosperity that he has long envisioned for Fiat: "I turn 65 in October. The question of 'could I go, could I retire?' crosses my mind, but the real reason [I'm still here] is I still have all the energy and I've been patiently waiting for this moment. Most people can't see it coming, but it is coming. Let me enjoy it."

How a fragmenting world is shattering the global car industry

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 05:00:00 +0100

Volvo XC70 was developed for the Chinese market using a Geely platform

Car makers have for a long time developed models globally, but that is fast changing

Global scale has always been the secret to success in the global car industry but that is under threat as regions diverge in ways we’ve not seen for decades.

The increasing gulf between regulation, buyer demands and state protectionism from market to market is forcing car makers to take a much more localised approach, and that’s badly hurting their ability to use scale to sell cars profitability.

“Our industry is fundamentally more regional and fragmented,” Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa told investors at the company’s capital markets day in May. He cited the firm's two biggest markets, Europe and the US. “Europe is moving faster into electrification, while the US is easing the CO2 trajectory and redefining trade conditions,” he said.

The dream situation for car makers would be to sell their model line-up across global markets united by similar legislation and buyer preferences. Back in the real world, of course, that has never really happened. Crash legislation in the US, for example, was always out of kilter with Europe's laws, while richer markets require more content than those with less buyer spending power.

But on the whole, the major markets could still be reached with common global platforms, an idea taken to its zenith by former Ford CEO Alan Mulally, who took over the top job in 2009. The former Boeing exec saw the world buying similar 777s – so why couldn’t the same happen with cars?

However, the mega-trends of electrification, the rise of the Chinese and the retreat of the US to a pre-electric, pre-globalisation era is dramatically altering the calculations for global car companies.

Honda is among those revisiting strategies that have been in place for decades. “It has been our standard practice to develop and sell all products based on global standard performance specifications regardless of target countries and regions,” CEO Toshihiro Mibe said on the company’s earnings call 14 May. However, the global car market started to fragment, forcing a change of strategy. “Our global standard approach may have been somewhat excessive,” admitted Mibe, in reference partly to a failed attempt to crack the difficult Indian market.

The mantra for car makers now is to think regional and develop models for local tastes. However, this requires a fundamental rethink. “First off, it’s incredibly expensive just to develop vehicles, as everybody knows. But then, if you have to start regionalising them to the point where you cannot make a global platform, that gets even more expensive,” said Rebecca Lindland, global head of automotive advisory at consultants HarrisX, on a recent webinar.

Even the premium brands are being forced to think more local. European premium brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the past could largely rise above global barriers because regional differences mostly evaporated higher up the price bracket. Any remaining differences requiring re-engineering were easily absorbed by the higher profit margins, but not any more.

A good example is in China, where tax changes and phenomenal technological leaps from local brands have this year almost entirely killed off the plug-in hybrid market for European premium marques. Instead, they are having lean on local partners to supply the technology missing from their armoury.

For example, Volvo had to reboot its PHEV strategy in China using a platform from owner Geely, which allowed it to launch the China-only XC70 SUV with its 124-mile electric range, matching that of local rivals such as Li Auto.

“Special products for China would be almost impossible for us to develop by ourselves,” Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson told the Financial Times Future of the Car conference in May. “Now we have a more regionalised world, we need stronger regional partners.” BMW calls this approach ‘think global, but act local’.

Global player Porsche knew what to do when emissions regulations in its three biggest markets – the US, Europe and China – were all heading in the direction of electric. When the US under president Donald Trump slammed on the brakes to return to combustion and Europe started wobbling, Porsche was left with no option but to shred much of its future EV plans in reaction, costing it €2.4 billion (£2.1bn).

In total, car makers including Stellantis, Honda, GM and Ford have booked write-downs totalling more than $70bn (£52bn) this year, largely due to the US's reversals on emissions requirements, according to research from Reuters.

Meanwhile, the increase in tariffs to import cars into the US to 10% for UK-built models and 15% from the European Union has made cars less competitive in what is now the biggest market for many European premium brands.

For those already localised with plants there – BMW, Mercedes and Volvo – that’s not too much of a problem. For JLR, though, it only widens the gulf with its rivals – hence the news that it wants to partner with Stellantis specifically within the US. This is likely to include local production in Stellantis plants, almost certainly with a new or heavily reworked model built to the new US standards, a costly process.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the coin, Europe’s dash to electric and its preference for smaller cars has forced Ford to turn to regional help with its EVs, first with Volkswagen for the Explorer and starting in 2028 with Renault, which will build two small EVs for the US giant.

The rise of the Chinese and the astonishing pace at which they’ve exported their low-cost, often electrified cars has forced markets with car industries of their own to abandon globalist principles and raise barriers, including tariffs. The US has shut the Chinese out entirely, while others have made it costlier for them to import electric cars, including the European Union, Brazil and Mexico.

The EU has gone further with the proposed ‘Made in Europe’ Industrial Accelerator Act that ring-fences certain benefits on cars made within its borders. This gives local brands breathing space from the Chinese onslaught but has obvious knock-off effects, including potentially excluding cars made in the UK.

BMW has already slammed the proposal, mainly because it throws more sand into the delicate machinery that is global trade by encouraging other countries to put up their own barriers in retaliation.

The speed at which the global world has turned in on itself has loused up long-term product plans. The Volkswagen Group, for example, has had to go back to the drawing board with its new, all-encompassing SSP electric platform because once-nailed-on markets are knocked out of contention and new Chinese players lower the price ceiling.

“The reality is that you have to tighten the screws. Because of the world being disconnected, you can't scale across the continents. Then you have to redo the math,” Volkswagen brand boss Thomas Schäfer told the Financial Times Future of the Car conference. SSP is now planned for the end of the decade, having initially been pencilled in for launch this year. “It sounds like it has taken so long, but we're looking at scale, and you have to have scale in this game,” said Schäfer.

The company is still working out whether the platform will need a range-extended option with a combustion engine. The fundamental differences between an ICE platform and a properly engineered EV platform (ie not an ICE carryover) makes it hard to find common ground, but flexibility is vital for global relevance. “The key to maintaining profitability in a fragmented market lies in maximising parts commonality between BEV and ICE/hybrid lines,” Harris Ng, a partner at consultant Kearney wrote in a report. “Platform strategies become essential.”

Car makers will never give up on global coverage with a single platform, simply because of the scale benefits it can bring. For example, Stellantis will make a version of the new Fiat Grizzly compact SUV, using the company’s low-cost Smart Car platform, for Chrysler in the US in the hope that there’s still demand for smaller cars in an increasingly truck-dominated landscape.

Stellantis’s buzzword at its capital markets day was 'multi-regional'. Fate has tried its hardest to prevent those regions from helping each other, but the car company that can thread that needle and stitch back together a fractured world will do very well indeed.

BYD Dolphin G: PHEV hatchback to offer 65-mile electric range

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0100

New Volkswagen Polo rival becomes UK's smallest plug-in hybrid; prices are expected to start around £23,000

The new BYD Dolphin G plug-in hybrid supermini will offer 65 miles of electric-only running and a total range of up to 646 miles.

Due on sale shortly priced from around £23,000, the Dolphin G will rivals the likes of the Renault Clio, Volkswagen Polo and Toyota Yaris – but while most B-segment cars feature mild- or full-hybrid powertrains, the Dolphin G is a full PHEV.

It's powered by BYD’s Super Hybrid system, as used by the recently launched Atto 2 DM-i crossover, featuring a 128bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine and two electric motors: a 161bhp drive unit and a generator.

The system is described as “EV-led”, because the motors turn the wheels in most situations, and it can power from 0-62mph in 8.3sec.

The Dolphin G will be offered with a choice of two batteries. Active cars feature a 7.2kWh pack giving 25 miles of electric-only range, while Boost, Comfort and Sport cars feature an 18.3kWh pack for a range of 65 miles.

The smaller battery can be charged at 3.3kW on an AC charger, while the larger battery can take 6.6kW AC and 39kW DC charging.

The variants with the larger battery are expected to be priced between £23,000 and £25,000.

Notably, the system also has a vehicle-to-load outlet, meaning the car's battery can power external devices.

The Dolphin G sits in the heart of the supermini segment, measuring 4160mm long, 1825mm wide and 1575mm high, with a wheelbase of 2610mm. That makes it 170mm shorter than the Atto 2 and the market's smallest PHEV.

It weighs between 1440kg and 1555kg, depending on battery size, and sits on 16in or 18in wheels. Boot capacity stands at a class-leading 425 litres.

An active air intake on the front bumper adjusts the airflow to the engine to optimise cooling and range, while there’s also a small rear spoiler. Cars in Sport trim get extra styling elements.

Inside, Active models feature a 10.1in touchscreen running a Google-based infotainment system, along with an 8.8in digital instrument display. Higher-end models feature a 12.8in touchscreen, plus features such as a panoramic roof, a head-up display and a 360deg camera.

First customer deliveries are due in the autumn.

Skoda Kodiaq: 5 ways it delivers serious value for families

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0100

If you're after a seven-seat family SUV that won't break the bank, look no further than the Skoda Kodiaq...

Finding a seven-seat SUV that genuinely offers value is harder than it sounds. As our sister title What Car? knows better than anyone, value isn't simply about being the least expensive car in the class – it's about delivering the most car for your money. And that's precisely the case the Škoda Kodiaq made at the 2026 What Car? Awards, where it was named Best 7-Seat SUV for Value, beating both cheaper rivals and far pricier premium alternatives to claim the prize.

It wasn't the Kodiaq's only recent win, either. Škoda's flagship SUV also scooped What Car?'s Tow Car of the Year 2025 gong, a double that underlines just how capable and all-round impressive this car really is. So what exactly won over the What Car? judges? Here are the five big reasons.

Test drive the award-winning Škoda Kodiaq

#1 Upmarket interior

Walk up to the Kodiaq for the first time and it's immediately clear this is a car that punches well above its price point. Step inside, and that impression is reinforced from every angle. The dashboard is clean, modern and thoughtfully laid out – and a genuinely welcome change from the touchscreen-only approach that's becoming increasingly common in this class.

In a world where rivals like the Peugeot 5008 and Volkswagen Tayron have swept physical controls away in favour of glass-covered dashboards, the What Car? team gave the Kodiaq particular praise for bucking the trend. As its reviewers pointed out: "the Kodiaq's dashboard has actual physical buttons," with most functions managed through three large, intuitive knobs on the centre console – a refreshingly easy-to-use arrangement that makes adjusting the climate control a simple matter of reaching out and turning a dial, whether you're stationary or on the move.

The driving position is just as pleasing. Entry-level SE trim comes with manual seat adjustment including lumbar support – something that isn't available on an entry-level Peugeot 5008 – while SE L adds full electric seat adjustment. The seats themselves are supportive and comfortable, and the commanding SUV driving position gives excellent all-round visibility.

Škoda's ‘Smart, Spacious and Stylish' philosophy runs through every corner of the cabin, too, with thoughtful touches – such as felt-lined door pockets to stop items rattling and a well-integrated 13.0in infotainment touchscreen that “responds quickly to all of your prods” – making daily life that little bit easier.

#2 Heaps of space

The Kodiaq takes its name from the Kodiak bear – one of the largest species of brown bear on the planet – and it lives up to the name when it comes to interior space. This is a genuinely large family SUV, with an optional third row of seats and an enormous boot that puts many class rivals to shame.

Front and middle-row passengers are very well served. There's a generous abundance of head and legroom, and the middle row of seats slides independently, so second-row passengers can stretch out properly rather than perching with their knees up against the seatbacks. When it comes to the third row, “It’s quite tight climbing into the seats, but once in, there’s enough space for teenagers and adults to have reasonable leg room if the second-row seats are slid forward,” What Car? said.

It's the boot figures, though, that really illustrate the Kodiaq's class-leading practicality. With the optional third row stowed and five seats in use, the Kodiaq offers a massive 845 litres of luggage space – comfortably ahead of the Nissan X-Trail (565 litres) and matching the Land Rover Discovery Sport (840 litres). Fold everything away in a five-seat model and that rises to 910 litres. Even with all seven seats in use, there's still 340 litres of boot space – roughly the same as a Volkswagen Golf offers.

Round it all off with Škoda's characteristically generous approach to cabin storage – deep door bins, a sizeable glovebox, cupholders in the right places, and useful hidden cubbies throughout – and you have a car as practical as it is spacious.

#3 Well-rounded driving character

The Kodiaq may be a big, family-focused SUV, but it doesn't drive like a car that's given up trying. What Car? picked the mild-hybrid 1.5 TSI e-TEC 150 as its recommended engine choice – a 148bhp petrol unit that's more than capable enough for everyday use, getting from 0-62mph in 9.5 seconds and delivering smooth, stress-free progress whether you're threading through town traffic or covering motorway miles.

Ride quality is one of the Kodiaq's strongest suits. What Car? described it as "really impressive," noting that it's better tied-down than the floaty Citroën C5 Aircross and far less jarring than the firmer Peugeot 5008 over bumpy surfaces, with “only the largest potholes and imperfections causing an audible thud”.

The steering is equally well-sorted. Light and manoeuvrable in town, it builds weight naturally as speeds rise and is precise enough to give real confidence when the road gets twisty. What Car? singled out the Kodiaq as the more enjoyable driver's car compared to the Citroën C5 Aircross, Land Rover Discovery Sport and Volkswagen Tayron when it comes to tackling a twisting road with a carload of passengers on board.

Safety rounds it all off: the Kodiaq earned a full five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP, with standard-fit automatic emergency braking and a wide suite of driver assistance technology across the range. Importantly for families, What Car? said “there are Isofix child seat mounts on the front passenger seat and outer middle row of seats, but not the third row on seven-seat versions.”

#4 Plenty of standard equipment

One of the key reasons What Car?'s judges named the Kodiaq their value champion for 2026 is how generously equipped it is even in entry-level SE trim. As the judges noted, when you buy the Kodiaq: "It isn't as though you'll have to skimp on standard equipment."

That SE trim includes 18-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and adaptive cruise control – features that might reasonably be expected as paid-for options on a car at this price point. Add in the crisp 13.0in infotainment touchscreen, a digital driver's display, automatic LED headlights, rear parking sensors and the full suite of driver assistance tech, and the Kodiaq feels considerably more expensive than its asking price might suggest.

Step up to SE L and you gain electric seat adjustment and the option to add Dynamic Chassis Control adaptive suspension. And for buyers who want genuine electrification, the Kodiaq plug-in hybrid offers an impressive official electric range of up to 76 miles – leaving the Peugeot 5008 PHEV's roughly 56-mile range well behind. (Bear in mind that the PHEV is only available in five-seat configuration.)

#5 Tantalising list price

So what does all of this – the upmarket interior, the cavernous boot, the accomplished driving manners, the generous standard equipment – actually cost? The Kodiaq starts from £39,025 OTR, which for a seven-seat SUV with this breadth of ability, is a truly compelling value.

The Hyundai Santa Fe, a key rival in the seven-seat space, asks many thousands more and can't match the Kodiaq's running cost advantage. Yes, there are cheaper options – the Chery Tiggo 8 among them – but as What Car?'s judges were clear to point out, “the Kodiaq is more practical and far superior to drive, plus it has a more upmarket interior”, making it well worth the additional outlay.

All of which explains why the Kodiaq walked away from the 2026 What Car? Awards not just as Best 7-Seat SUV for Value, but as Tow Car of the Year too. It's a car without meaningful weaknesses, and one that makes a powerful case for anyone who needs a genuinely capable, family-sized SUV without paying a premium-brand premium to get it.

Now you’ve seen the five biggest reasons why the Škoda Kodiaq is a What Car? award winner, maybe it's time to see what the Kodiaq can do for you.

Test drive the award-winning Škoda Kodiaq

Why we finally made the Mazda MX-5 a five-star car

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0100

After a decade on sale, the MX-5 is better than ever – and now stands in a class of its own

The Mazda MX-5 is an atypical recipient of our rare and coveted five-star road test score, the only car to have been awarded top marks over the past 12 months. Not because it isn't worthy - far from it - but because it isn't new.

Normally an instrumented full test is part of the launch hubbub for a new car, and if it's exceptionally good and moves the game on in one way or another, it might have a chance of a perfect score.

Instead, the fourth-generation MX-5 has been on sale for 11 years, and while it has received some tweaks and improvements over the years, it's not a radically different car from when it was launched in 2015.

Really, putting the 2.0-litre MX-5 through a road test felt like taking care of unfinished business.

We evaluated the 1.5-litre version in 2015 and gave it four and a half stars. It was a fabulous roadster that could brighten up even the greyest day but, in that spec and in the face of vibrant competition, it lacked some grunt and body control.

In a thorough update in 2018, the 2.0-litre model got exactly those things. It won plenty of praise in various group tests thereafter, but newer and shinier things got in the way of us rerunning the numbers. In the meantime, though, the MX-5's affordable sports car rivals were removed from sale one by one.

The little Mazda has outlasted all of them, and without itself being diminished in any major way. So it was worth asking the question: what if this car were launched today? Well, the answer is that it would cause an absolute sensation.

Here stands a small sports car that weighs barely more than a tonne. It ticks every box an enthusiastic driver could want: a zingy, naturally aspirated petrol engine, a manual gearbox, rear-wheel drive, a bespoke chassis and an ingenious convertible roof mechanism. And, unlike the vanishingly few other cars on sale today that fit that description, the MX-5 is priced such that it's attainable for many people.

At £28,605 for the 1.5-litre Prime-Line or £36,065 for our preferred 2.0-litre Homura, it's not as cheap as it once was, but you would still struggle to find a new car with a warranty that serves the same amount of entertainment and usability for twice the price, let alone the same.

From the fundamentals to the small details, everything in the MX-5 is clearly designed for and by driving enthusiasts. It's no bigger than it needs to be to accommodate a wide range of body types with a pedigree sports car driving position. The interior is simple yet elegant and remains unsullied by enormous digital screens, a thick and non-round steering wheel or even a drive mode button.

After all, the joy of the MX-5 is in how simply excellent it is to drive. It doesn't need different drive modes, because everything about it is set up right from the start. Even on a boring A-road commute, the MX-5 will liven up the experience. The feeling of mechanical connection through the tactile steering and delightful manual gearbox will remind you how much fun driving can be, even without having to go particularly fast. It won't beat you up, either, because the suspension is set up for real roads.

Of course, if you do up your pace on a good B-road or a race track, the MX-5 will serve up an engrossing experience. The relatively soft suspension invites you to play with the weight balance, while the sensibly sized tyres grip gently and then break away progressively, so exploring the limit becomes entirely unthreatening and fun.

That's the entire point of the MX-5: it's fun. Other driver's cars may push the boundaries of speed and grip, but they often forget to actually be entertaining.

The MX-5 has been around in one form or another since 1989, and the fourth-generation model has existed since 2015. As a result, it's easy to take this car for granted, but we really shouldn't. In a world where exciting engines, manual gearboxes and light cars have become rarities and collector's items for the ultra-rich, the MX-5 is a bit of a miracle, and we should treasure it.

It has been a long time coming, but its five-star status is finally official.

"We're not selling mobility": How Stephan Winkelmann transformed Lamborghini

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Lamborghini CEO wins top prize in Autocar Awards for his transformative leadership of Italian firm

Stephan Winkelmann has been at the helm of Automobili Lamborghini for 15 of the past 20 years across two stints at the firm - longer than Ferruccio himself led the company for.

In 2005, the year in which he was appointed president and CEO, the brand sold 1600 cars. Last year, total sales eclipsed 10,700 and, while the firm is not immune from the global challenges of recent years, it remains a huge profit driver for the Volkswagen Group.

That remarkable growth alone would make Winkelmann a worthy winner of the Issigonis Trophy, an honour named after the inventor of the Mini, Sir Alec Issigonis, and presented by Autocar each year to an individual who has delivered exceptional success.

But the transformation of Lamborghini under Winkelmann's stewardship runs deeper: he has provided stability and a clear vision to a manufacturer with an uneven, sometimes troubled history. He has driven the addition of new products that pushed into fresh markets, turned Lamborghini's Sant'Agata factory into a modern production hub and moved its supercars into the electrified era. And he's done all that while preserving the spirit of Lamborghini as a producer of high-performance cars that remain wild, extravagant and often pleasingly madcap.

Winkelmann describes Lamborghini as "ready to go" at the time when he first joined the firm. "When I arrived, the Gallardo and the Murciélago were pretty much at the beginning of their life cycle," he says. "But there was a lot to exploit, and a lot of opportunities."

While the opportunities were obvious, there was no guarantee Winkelmann would succeed in realising them. After all, the brand's potential had long been clear, which explained why the often troubled marque had attracted a string of investors and owners, including Chrysler, before the Volkswagen Group took over in 1998. And the early returns weren't positive. "Early in my first stint, there was the big [2008] financial crisis," says Winkelmann. Having grown annual sales to 2400 by 2008, they slumped to just 1300 two years later. Winkelmann, though, says those struggles meant "it was a good time to work on the things which were paramount for success".

The early focus was on "the brand and the quality of the cars" before then looking at "the idea of derivatives". Even then, there was already "the wish and the will to add a third model line", which is now the hugely successful Urus SUV. That model, which accounts for significantly more than half of the firm's annual sales, has been key to Lamborghini's transformation, but Winkelmann says: "It was a long trip. The idea was born very early but we looked at lots of different variants such as the Estoque saloon we showed at Paris in 2008. We decided to do an SUV soon after that but it took years to get there, because we had to grow the organisation's size and it was not easy in terms of financials."

The Urus, in fact, was shown in concept form in 2012 yet it took until 2018 - during the period when Winkelmann was not at Lamborghini - to reach production. But it sparked a transformation of the firm and its Sant'Agata Bolognese factory. An entirely new assembly hall was built for the Urus, utilising state-of-the-art production techniques to achieve a scale unimaginable with its supercar lines. It also showcased one of the secrets to Lamborghini's growth: the backing of the Volkswagen Group.

The German giant acquired Lamborghini in 1998, putting it under the control of Audi in its premium and performance division. It has enabled scale - the Urus shares a platform with the likes of the Audi Q7 and Bentley Bentayga - but somehow without the firm losing sense of its roots. That's harder than it sounds: performance brands with similar heritage such as Maserati and Lotus have struggled to maintain an identity when subsumed into larger groups.

As a German who spent his youth living in Rome, Winkelmann is perhaps ideally placed to balance those delicate Italy-Germany relations. "Lamborghini is an Italian brand, so it's easy," he says. "We have our roots, factory and headquarters there. Most of our employees are Italians and a lot of the people in our factory are the second generation to work there.

"The two supercars we have today, the Revuelto and Temerario, are almost 100% Italian in terms of development and parts. Where we showcase how well the synergies work is with Urus. It has a common platform, but our engineers did a fantastic job creating a car which is a real Lamborghini. Nobody who drives an Urus ever doubts this."

Talk of a 'real Lamborghini' reflects another key part of the brand's continued success under Winkelmann: its cars remain hugely distinctive, marrying bold styling, extreme performance and a little bit of theatre. There is still a pleasingly mad streak to Lamborghini and it runs from the entry-level Urus right up through to its outlandish 'few-off' specials. The idea of turning a V10 supercar into a jacked-up rally machine might sound crazy, but the resulting Huracán Sterrato was a hit.

So how does Lamborghini maintain that pleasingly wild side? "We always tend to look forwards," says Winkelmann. "But if you look at the history of Lamborghini, there were a lot of different things. It was never only a supercar company. We had machines such as the LM002 [a military-inspired off-roader]. There were a lot of projects that were sometimes not that successful.

"But our strategy is that we have the base models and then everybody now is allowed to think out loud. We probably put 99.9% of those ideas aside, but sometimes there is something that is really cool and we agree to attempt it. The Sterrato, for example, worked out very well. We hit a real sweet spot in the market.

"Sometimes someone comes to me with an idea and I like it. Sometimes it's totally off and we don't do it. But we always have this brainstorming and we allow this to happen. Sometimes it's silly, I have to admit. But at the end of the day, if you leave the door open, good things happen."

The trick is that in the Winkelmann era, those extravagant models are - arguably for the first time in Lamborghini's history - underpinned by business logic. So as well as the gleaming new Urus hall at Sant'Agata, the assembly lines for the two supercars have been merged into one, creating more flexibility to suit demand. "It's complex because they have a different takt time, but we can now change the amount of each models without changing the total output. And our people are now able to assemble both, which gives them a lot of pride," he says.

That flexibility is key. As noted, Winkelmann arrived at Lamborghini shortly before the 2008 global financial crisis, and returned to the firm in December 2020 in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. And, well, as you know, things have not calmed down much since then. That Lamborghini has continued to grow through it is a sign of the stability he has enabled.

"We've been pretty good in handling the challenges in the last five years," he says. "But with the chip shortage, the war in Ukraine, tariffs and now the conflict in the Middle East, it's not easy. And now the Chinese market is dropping, and we have issues with exchange rates, flexibility and speed. Having a well-balanced distribution among the regions is key. We don't want to be too dependent on one country or one region."

Lamborghini is also facing a lot more competition in an increasingly complex, fragmented market. So what makes the difference: the brand, heritage or its models? "It's a combination for sure," says Winkelmann. "The key element of the car is the design, performance and emotion: this is what the customer is expecting. We have to create the perfect car that exceeds dreams. At the end of the day, we're not selling mobility.

"Then we have to balance scarcity against residual values. This is something you always have to keep in mind and the brand has to be close to the product itself. We see ourselves as brave, unexpected and authentic. The bravery is coming from our founder to create something just because of the challenge. He said 'I will do my own thing', and we have lots of products now that nobody would have expected.

"To be authentic, you have to be really anchored to your roots. This is one of the things which is important. Every time we start thinking [about a new car], you have to know where you're coming from and the environment you're in. I see the other manufacturers, but we have premium upgraders, and then we have six true exclusive or luxury brands - including us."

The big challenge now facing the whole car industry is electrification, a challenge that is even tougher for a small manufacturer such as Lamborghini. Again, the Volkswagen Group links help to ensure the firm has access to technology, but the demand for electrification in the luxury performance sphere is uncertain. While Lamborghini has successfully hybridised both its supercar model lines, plans to add a pure-electric grand tourer - shown with the Lanzador concept - have been scrapped. That fourth product line will now be a plug-in hybrid.

The decision to put the Lanzador on hold showed humility, especially as firms such as Ferrari press on with their EVs. But Winkelmann says: "As I said, we don't sell mobility. Usually our customers have more than five cars in the garage so it's not a must to own [an electric] car like this.

"If you don't feed the dream, the emotional aspect and performance, then you risk losing it. Technology and all the advancement in terms of what you can do with it is key, but if people won't buy it, it doesn't matter if it's the most advanced technology. We always have to look into what the DNA of the brand is all about and what type of purpose we have in this environment now."

As for a full-electric car, Winkelmann says the firm "continue to work" on the technology: "It's paramount to be prepared for when the time is ready. What I see now is that when we speak about performance, there are things you can express in numbers: acceleration, top speed, lap time. But then there is the emotional part. And the emotional part is what is making the difference for our customers. It's the vibration, how you get in and out of the corners, how you use the pedals and then the sound. If you cut this off, you risk a lot.

"If you have a huge brand, you can do more. But for us, every euro we spend has to be spent in the right way."

Under Winkelmann's leadership, it's hard to argue that Lamborghini hasn't excelled in making the most of its spend. He has transformed the company beyond recognition in the past 20 years, while also navigating difficult, turbulent times. And he has set the firm up to keep on growing in the future.

Lamborghini CEO takes top honour at 2026 Autocar Awards

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:01:00 +0100

Autocar Awards, in partnership with Siemens, recognise the industry's best people, innovations and cars

Autocar has recognised Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann with its highest honour, the Issigonis Trophy, at the 2026 Autocar Awards in partnership with Siemens.

The prize, named after Mini inventor Sir Alec Issigonis, is presented to an individual in the automotive industry who has delivered exceptional success.

During two stints in charge of Lamborghini, Winkelmann has not only grown its annual sales from 1600 cars to more than 10,000, but has also provided stability and a clear vision for the marque’s future.

Having first joined after the launch of the Gallardo and Murciélago – its first cars under Audi ownership – he has since overseen the development of new products such as the Urus, tapping new markets. He has also transformed the historic Sant’Agata factory into a modern plant and electrified its supercars – all without betraying the character that defines a Lamborghini.

"What makes the Autocar Awards different is that we aren't just celebrating the very best cars on the road," said Autocar editor Mark Tisshaw. "Incredible cars don't just happen; they require immense bravery, vision and exceptional leadership. By honouring the individual trailblazers alongside the vehicles themselves, we recognise that great cars are always made by great people."

The Mundy Award, named after Autocar staffer Harry Mundy and given in recognition of engineering excellence, has been won by BMW’s Neue Klasse architecture. The basis of BMW’s forthcoming rebirth, it has already demonstrated its prowess under the iX3 SUV, which is among the finest electric cars yet launched.

The Editors’ Award, a special prize given in recognition of individual achievement, has been presented to Fiat CEO Olivier François for his role in returning the Italian brand to growth. He has overseen the development of its strongest line-up in generations – yet, as he told Autocar, his plan has taken more than a decade to come to fruition.

Horse Powertrain, the Renault-Geely joint venture working to give combustion engines a more sustainable future, has taken the Sturmey Award for innovation, named after former Autocar writer Henry Sturmey.

Ford Racing has won Autocar’s Motorsport Award, while Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer has been recognised as 2026’s Outstanding Leader. BYD’s Bono Ge has been presented with Autocar's Outstanding UK Leader prize.

Meanwhile, Julian Thomson – responsible for the Lotus Elise, Range Rover Evoque and a number of striking Jaguars – has been recognised as Autocar’s Design Hero for 2026.

Renault took Best Manufacturer honours for its outstanding range of retro-futuristic EVs – the 4, 5 and Twingo – bringing electrification into the mainstream while also making it more desirable.

The Watt Electric Vehicle Company takes Autocar’s Innovation Award for PACES: a lightweight, scalable platform designed for niche and low-volume electric vehicles.

The full list of honours given to individual vehicles at the 2026 Autocar Awards, in partnership with Siemens, is as follows:

Autocar Awards 2026: The Best Cars

Five-Star Car: Mazda MX-5

Britain’s Best Driver’s Car: Porsche 911 GT3 Touring

Best Electric Car: Skoda Elroq

Best Hybrid: Honda Prelude

Best Large Car: Kia PV5

Best Value Car: Dacia Duster

Best Small Car: Renault Twingo

Best Dream Car: Morgan Supersport

Best Saloon: Mercedes-Benz CLA Electric

Future Classic, awarded in association with Classic & Sports Car magazine: Mini John Cooper Works

BYD launches 1500kW Flash charging in UK - and it could cost just 50p per kWh

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 15:04:26 +0100

BYD's answer to the Tesla Supercharger can refill an EV's battery in minutes and could be much cheaper too

BYD plans to install 300 ultra-rapid 1500kW chargers in the UK by the end of next year - and it could charge far less than rival providers, despite offering speeds several times higher.

Flash chargers are BYD's self-developed answer to Tesla's Supercharger network - and will quickly start to rival it for coverage, with around 3000 units planned to be installed across Europe by 2027.

The Chinese company said this rapid roll-out (focused on high-traffic areas and motorways) will result in there being a Flash charger roughly every 50km, or 31 miles.

There are currently around 20,000 Superchargers in operation in Europe, spread across 1500 sites.

Flash chargers are far more powerful than Superchargers, with their peak output of 1500kW representing a three-fold increase on the fastest of Tesla's devices.

However, while Flash devices are compatible with all EVs equipped with a standard CCS charging port, the maximum output can be achieved only by certain BYD-made cars equipped with two charging ports – starting with the Denza Z9 GT shooting brake, due here in September.

Future additions to the European Denza line-up, including the B5 SUV and D9 MPV, will also be equipped with Flash charging compatibility, because they use the new second generation of BYD’s Blade battery technology.

There’s no word yet on when the tech will trickle down to the mainstream BYD range.

At top speed, a Flash charger can take the Z9 from 10-70% capacity in just five minutes and on to 97% in only another four minutes, claims BYD - and even in extremely cold temperatures (-30deg C) it will need only another three minutes.

The locations of the first UK Flash chargers remain unconfirmed, but BYD has said the nation's first Denza customers will benefit from 18 months of free Flash charging - similar to the free Supercharging offer Tesla gave to early Model S buyers.

Flash chargers take their power from on-site batteries, which will be filled overnight via the grid at off-peak prices. This means that BYD could ultimately charge significantly less than rival charger providers while massively outpacing them on maximum speed.

BYD UK boss Bono Ge told Autocar that "in the ideal situation, we want to be sub-50 pence per hour", which would have the Flash chargers dramatically undercutting rapid chargers from the likes of Ionity, Gridserve and Instavolt.

Ge said being able to charge around 50p per kWh would be "the sweet point" and suggested such a low cost could be possible because of the Flash chargers' potential to charge far more cars per day than rival devices, using energy secured at a lower cost.

"We do not want them to pay a more expensive price," said Ge about drivers of Denza EVs, adding that EVs from other brands could pay a higher cost depending on the commercial agreements reached with the firms that will operate the Flash chargers.

"If we work with CPOs [charge point operators], we will probably offer a special rate for BYD customers," he said, "and then we need to match their prices for non-BYD customers" to make the partnership profitable for both parties.

As well as established charging firms, BYD is in talks with various supermarket brands over setting up Flash chargers in their car parks.

It claims to have 30-40 dealerships in the UK with the necessary power connections already, which have begun the process of securing planning permission for Flash chargers.

Ge said "the only concern" he had about building the UK's Flash network was securing planning permission - which is commonly cited as one of the main obstacles to setting up new charging sites.

However, he said that working with existing charger operators will make this concern "a little bit less relevant", because they will have secured permission at the relevant sites already.

"The challenge" in that regard, however, will be establishing "a commercial agreement" that suitably benefits both the operator and BYD.

Bold Mk3 Audi Q7 revealed with striking new look and punchy diesel

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0100

Total reinvention for Audi's big X5 rival, which brings diesel V6 and tech-heavy cabin

Audi has reinvented its Q7 large SUV for a third generation, taking the fight to the Volvo XC90 and Hyundai Santa Fe with a bold new look, a futuristic cabin and a punchy diesel V6.

Available to order next month from around £80,000, the latest generation of Audi’s seven-seat family 4x4 has been completely restyled inside and out as it moves onto the Premium Platform Combustion architecture that underpins its A5, A6 and Q5 siblings.

While the outgoing Mk2 evolved the rakish, curvy form of its predecessor, the new car adopts a straighter-edged, two-box silhouette that boosts roominess and emphasises its practicality credentials.

Audi calls it a “striking and confident exterior” treatment and says the aim was to create a “commanding silhouette” – which will be carried over and extended for the closely related Q9, a new flagship SUV model arriving in the next few months to rival the BMW X7 and Range Rover.

Unlike its predecessor – and its platform-mates – the new Q7 eschews a multi-powertrain line-up at launch in favour of a sole 3.0-litre diesel V6, which is offered in two states of tune and drives all four wheels.

This will be the first outing in the UK for Audi’s new-generation V6 TDI powerplant. It is mated to a conventional belt-driven 48V starter-alternator but also adds a powertrain generator and an electric compressor, which uses a motor to spin the turbo, rather than exhaust gas – reaching 90,000rpm in just 250 milliseconds to boost response and torque output across the rev range.

As standard, the mildly hybridised six-pot produces 242bhp and 369lb ft of torque but it can be optionally upgraded to 295bhp and 465lb ft – making it slightly more powerful than the same-sized V6 diesel that could be had in the previous Q7.

Audi has yet to give full performance details but says the set-up ensures “a linear and fast response, impressive mid-range acceleration with even more direct pedal feel, increased efficiency, and improved long-term durability”. The firm also compares the power delivery characteristics to those of an EV, given the smoother torque curve afforded by the more consistent turbo input.

On its own, the 48V generator produces 24bhp and 273lb ft, chipping in under hard acceleration and to allow engine-off running for short distances at low speed.

Audi has not said if it plans to expand the Q7’s engine offering. The outgoing car came with a broad mix of petrol and plug-in hybrid powertrains in addition to diesel – including a 500bhp twin-turbo petrol V8 in performance-oriented SQ7 guise, which has not yet been confirmed for a revival.

The Q7’s dashboard is dominated by the same full-width infotainment suite that’s fitted to other recent Audi models – equipped with an in-built ‘self-learning’ voice assistant that can control key functions and uses ChatGPT to answer questions on the move.

It’s the centrepiece of a cockpit that majors on technology and personalisation. Highlights include electrically adjustable air vents, cooled magnetic charging pads, an opacifying panoramic roof, a 4D sound system with headrest speakers and in-seat actuators, and a raft of bespoke colour and trim options.

For the first time, the Q7 is available with five, six or seven seats – all electrically adjustable – though Audi has yet to confirm if all configurations will be offered in the UK. Boot space is pegged at up to 670 litres with the third row stowed, expanding to a huge 2075 litres with the middle row folded as well.

The Q7 rides on steel springs as standard but optionally offers two types of air suspension: there’s a conventional adaptive set-up with electronically controlled dampers, and at the top of the range a ‘sport’ system that lowers the ride height by 30mm and stiffens up the chassis for improved agility. Both come in combination with all-wheel steering, which shrinks the low-speed turning circle and boosts stability at higher speeds.

Precise details of which versions will come to the UK, and how much they’ll cost, will be revealed next month.

Boreham reveals new Ford Escort RS for £300k – with 10,000rpm redline

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 11:30:00 +0100

Stunning 'continumod' of 1970s icon is new from the ground up and has blistering performance potential

British engineering firm Boreham Motorworks has revealed its £300k Ford Escort RS 'continumod' in production form for the first time - and claimed it will be "one of the most focused lightweight performance cars of the modern era".

Unlike a conventional restomod, Boreham's super-light Escort is an entirely new creation, rather than being a modernised or re-engineered version of an existing classic car.

It's officially licensed by Ford and described as "the first brand-new road-going Ford Escort Mk1 in more than 50 years".

The RS was revealed initially in 2024 and has now been shown in full – with final specs – at the London Concours classic car show, ahead of Boreham beginning production in the coming months.

Pricing starts from £295,000 before options and taxes – so £354,000 in the UK – and just 150 examples will be built in total, in right- or left-hand drive.

Weighing just 895kg, the RS is available with a bespoke naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine that's said to combine motorsport learnings with "modern engineering precision" to deliver a "visceral, analogue driving experience".

Named Ten-K in reference to its screaming 10,000rpm redline (demonstrated in the below video), the 2.2-litre lump weighs just 85kg yet sends an impressive 326bhp and 155lb ft of torque through the five-speed dog leg manual gearbox to the rear axle.

Boreham has yet to release performance figures but, based on a power-to-weight ratio of nearly 300bhp per tonne, the RS should be well capable of keeping pace with most modern sports cars off the mark.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Autocar (@autocar_official)

The RS will also be available with a reworking of the storied Twin Cam engine that powered the Escort to competition success and a powerplant derived from Ford’s current offerings.

The Twin Cam has been upsized from 1558cc to 1845cc and its twin Weber carburettors have been replaced by fuel injection. The changes net an extra 73bhp for 182bhp. This is sent to the rear wheels via the original four-speed gearbox, with straight-cut, close-ratio gears.

The RS is based on the two-door Escort RS bodies that were produced by Ford’s Advanced Vehicle Operations in Aveley, Essex, before it was shut in 1975. Boreham digitally recreated the shell and used computer simulations to re-engineer it for improved handling, adding extra bracing and widening the wheel arches.

It also developed a new rear axle made from aluminium and titanium and moved the rear dampers from their original canted position to a more conventional vertical orientation.

Power steering, anti-lock brakes and traction control are omitted to match the driving experience of the original car.

It’s also fitted with coilover suspension and an automatic torque-biasing limited-slip differential that’s said to provide “controllable and predictable” oversteer.

As well as all the changes under the skin, Boreham employed Wayne Burgess – formerly head of design for Jaguar SVR models, including the XE Project 8 – to bring the Escort up to date aesthetically.

For example, its chrome bumpers and main indicators were removed to match the look of contemporary race cars (such as the Alan Mann-developed Escort that won the 1968 British Saloon Car Championship), while the new LED headlight design mimics the cross-shaped tape that was applied in period to prevent light housings from shattering.

The interior design combines references to the original, such as its six-clock instrument panel and two central air vents, with modern accoutrements.

is also working on a plan to revive the Ford RS200. Like the Escort, this will be built from the ground up as an “entirely new” creation.

Toyota Hilux

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 10:41:56 +0100

Ninth-generation pick-up truck arrives with fresh design and mild-hybrid diesel power The face of low-budget regime changes, the Toyota Hilux, has received a makeover.The incoming ninth-generation Hilux sports a rather swanky new front, as part of a redesign that Toyota calls ‘all-new’, although the word ‘all’ is doing heavier lifting here than even the load bay is able to.To recap, the famously indestructible Hilux is one of two major volume players in the UK’s double-cab pick-up truck market, beside the Ford Ranger, although Toyota is expecting a lot more competition from both incumbents and new entrants.

BMW solves hydrogen packaging puzzle to build FCEV and EV iX5 together

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0100

'Flat storage' system doesn't intrude into cabin space and enables iX5 to be built on same line

BMW has moved its fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) development on another step with the new ‘BMW Hydrogen Flat Storage’ system – a new method of storing compressed hydrogen on board vehicles.

This new approach overcomes a major barrier because it’s modular and fits into the same space in the iX5 as the ‘Gen6’ high-voltage EV battery. There’s no intrusion into cabin space as there might be with more conventional tanks and, crucially, it allows iX5 Hydrogen models to be built on the same production line as other powertrain types.

The production X5 now supports five types of powertrain – petrol, diesel, BEV, plug-in hybrid and now FCEV – in what BMW calls a “technology-open approach”. All powertrain variants will share BMW’s new ‘Heart of Joy’ centralised control unit, combining drivetrain, braking and driving dynamics into one system.

BMW says the iX5 FCEV’s electric motor is exactly the same as the BEV version’s. But rather than one large battery, a hydrogen fuel cell stack generates electricity drawing on hydrogen stored in on-board tanks.

A small high-voltage lithium ion buffer battery provides the bursts of energy for acceleration and stores energy during regenerative braking.

The new Hydrogen Flat Storage system holds enough compressed hydrogen at a pressure of 700 bar to give the iX5 a range of 385 miles. Early prototypes were equipped with a pair of tanks storing 6kg of hydrogen for a range of 313 miles.

Being able to produce a fuel cell car on an existing platform where a compressed gas fuel storage system fits in the same space as an EV sibling’s battery is significant for making an FCEV viable to build and sell.

Given the X5 architecture can support five different drive system variants, it should be possible to scale manufacturing to match demand rather than relying on bespoke manufacturing, which is how FCEVs have been made in the past. That should be a good fit with what is still a limited worldwide hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.

The Hydrogen Flat Storage system consists of seven slim tanks replacing the larger twin tanks of the early cars. Each one is a ‘Type 4’ design, which means it’s constructed from carbonfibre-reinforced composite wrapped around a polymer liner.

The tanks are connected in parallel, hold a total of 7kg of hydrogen and can be refilled at a hydrogen pump in under five minutes. The seven tanks are integrated into a metal frame and controlled by a single, main, central control valve rather than operating separately.

It forms part of the overall fuel cell powertrain, at the heart of which is the latest ‘Gen3’ fuel cell system developed with FCEV veteran Toyota. BMW says the pilot fleet of 100 iX5 Hydrogen prototypes was successfully tested worldwide and in 2028 will become its first hydrogen-powered model to enter series production.

Supervan successor could go ICE: Ford drops all-EV focus for wild Demonstrator machines

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Firm has developed a string of electric demonstrators in recent years but will now pivot back to ICE

Ford Racing will continue to develop a line of high-performance 'Demonstrators' that are intended to push technology – but will broaden them out beyond EVs.

The firm has developed a string of electric Demonstrators in recent years, including the Supervan 4.2, an F-150 Lightning Supertruck and a Mustang Cobra Jet 2200.

The vehicles have competed in the Pikes Peak hillclimb, appeared at events such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed and been used as testbeds to develop Ford’s high-performance EV powertrains.

Speaking exclusively to Autocar, Ford Racing boss Mark Rushbook said that the decision to build the range of electric Demonstrators rather than compete in a category such as Formula E was “because we did not feel existing electric series were right for us".

He continued: "That's not a knock on those series, but we wanted the ability to truly learn with a free canvas, and a series like Formula E does restrict you. With the Demonstrators we can do whatever we want, whether it’s a Transit or an F-150, a Mustang Mach-E or even a Mustang coupé.

"We can do what we want and we can learn what we need to about the motor, battery cell technology, the controls, the calibration, aero and so on.”

But with Ford adjusting its future plans to put more of an emphasis on hybrid and combustion powertrains, Rushbrook said its Demonstrators would shift from a pure EV focus.

“We’ll continue to do Demonstrators, but we’re not going to restrict ourselves to full electric,” he explained. “We still have a lot of electric cars in our future, but we also have a lot of hybrids coming, and we also have a lot of combustion vehicles coming. So we’ll do more demonstrators, but you will see more powertrain technology in them, not just full-electric.”

Rushbrook highlighted hybrids as one key area in which Ford was keen to push development. The firm is building experience through its Formula 1 power-unit partnership with Red Bull, and Rushbrook added: “We’re learning a tonne about hybrid powertrains in F1, but there’s more that we can learn.”

The best electric cars 2026 – driven, rated and ranked

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 00:01:00 +0100

These are the best EVs on sale in the UK today in our view – each with its own trump card

Electric cars have come a long way in such a short period that there's now no doubting their credentials as genuine, do-it-all transport.

Only a few years ago, EVs fell way short of the mark, with high price tags, limited real-world ranges and lacklustre charging speeds discouraging drivers from making the switch.

Market trends now tell a very different story, with electric cars now accounting for more than a quarter of all new car registrations in the UK.

Advancements in battery technology, public charging infrastructure and driving dynamics have changed the EV landscape, while falling production costs have democratised what used to be an expensive car class.

Factor in their lower running costs and the UK government’s Electric Car Grant (ECG) and modern-day EVs make a strong case for themselves as the go-to choice for families and fleets.

The pool of choice is now bigger than ever, but which electric car should you actually buy? From long-legged family SUVs to performance derivatives that offer sports car-like thrills, we’ve put together a list of the best electric cars on sale today.

We think the Skoda Elroq is the best electric car you can buy right now. Few compact SUVs can match its clever blend of versatility, range, maturity and sheer value for money. Plus several derivatives qualify for the band-two ECG, which means you can save up to £1500.

At a glance

Make and Model	Best For	Starting Price	Official Range (WLTP)	Autocar Tested Range	Autocar Rating
1. Skoda Elroq	Versatility and value	£33,970	Up to 372 miles	370 miles	4.5/5
2. BMW iX3	Range and charging speed	£60,655	Up to 500 miles	435 miles	4.5/5
3. Hyundai Ioniq 5 N	Sports car thrills	£65,800	Up to 278 miles	230 miles	5/5
4. Renault 5	Stylish and affordable motoring	£21,495	Up to 248 miles	260 miles	4.5/5
5. Porsche Taycan	Handling and performance	£88,200	Up to 421 miles	360 miles	4.5/5

Every winner of the Engine of the Year award

Mon, 8 Jun 2026 13:35:06 +0100

From a frugal 1.0-litre to a mighty 3.9-litre V8, here’s a list of the overall winners of the International Engine of the Year trophy

Start your engines.

In 2021, Autocar picked 50 of our favourite road-going engines, including the Ford small-block V8, Lotus twin-cam and Porsche air-cooled flat-six. In truth, we could have selected twice as many, but we had to draw the line somewhere. Here, we’re looking at the best engines of the past two decades, according to the judges of the annual International Engine of the Year awards. Let’s take a look:

Toyota 1.0-litre (1999)

Toyota’s ‘Mighty Atom’ 1.0-litre unit reigned supreme at the inaugural International Engine of the Year awards, winning the overall prize and the ‘Sub 1.0-litre’ category. The 998cc, 67bhp Yaris engine was praised for its 50mpg fuel economy and performance. One judge said it ‘performs like a far larger engine but is incredibly efficient.’ A 1.3-litre version of the engine arrived in October 1999.

Honda 1.0-litre IMA (2000)

The Honda Insight 1.0-litre IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) hybrid engine finished ahead of Ferrari’s 5.5-litre V12, Alfa Romeo’s 2.5-litre V6, and BMW’s 3.0-litre six-cylinder and 4.0-litre V8 diesels to grab victory in 2000. One of the judges, our very own Steve Cropley, called it “an elegant solution that ordinary people can afford.” With a light right foot, the 995cc three-cylinder engine could deliver up to 100mpg.

BMW 3.2-litre straight-six (2001)

Japan’s stranglehold of the top International Engine of the Year award was broken (for now) by Germany, with BMW’s brilliant 3.2-litre straight-six unit taking the honours. Very much at home in the E46 M3, the engine developed 343bhp at 7900rpm and 296lb ft of torque at 4900rpm, with a top speed limited to 155mph. We said: “The grunty rumble from the quad exhausts at idle gives way to a serrated wail as the straight-six climbs to its redline.’

BMW 4.4-litre V8 (2002)

BMW secured another victory in 2002, this time for its N62 4.4-litre V8. The all-aluminium, normally aspirated, 90-degree V8 featured many technological advances, including the Valvetronic variable valve lift system. Applications included BMW’s 745i, X5 4.4i Sport, 545i and 645Ci (pictured) models. Commenting on its use in the X5 4.4i Sport, Andrew Frankel said the engine offered “compelling performance”. The N62 4.4 was developed into a 4.8 and made its way into the Wiesmann GT and Morgan Aero 8.

Mazda 1.3-litre Renesis (2003)

In our Mazda RX-8 used car guide, we said the rotary engine will be “expensive to maintain, even if it’s in good nick, and its impressive ability to get through a tank of petrol is secondary only to its unquenchable thirst for oil”. Without the benefit of a crystal ball, the judges praised Mazda for, ‘its sheer bravery in pursuing the Wankel format and making it work’, calling it, ‘smooth and strong, clean and compact.’

Toyota 1.5-litre (2004)

The International Engine of the Year award stayed in Japan, with the hybrid system used in the Toyota Prius winning the overall title and three different categories. In December 2004, the Prius was named 2005 European Car of the Year at the Autocar Awards, securing the most comprehensive win since the first-generation Ford Focus waltzed to a mammoth 172-point victory over the Vauxhall Astra in 1999. Of the 58 jury members, 37 gave the Prius top spot.

BMW 5.0-litre V10 (2005)

BMW has won 62 overall and category trophies since the first International Engine of the Year awards in 1999, with victory in 2005 kickstarting four years of dominance. The F1-inspired 5.0-litre V10 is one of the greatest engines of all time, developing 394bhp in ‘normal’ mode, or 500bhp when you press the ‘M’ button. This was the last BMW M5 to be powered by a normally aspirated engine, and a way to go out in riotous, characterful style.

BMW 5.0-litre V10 (2006)

The 5.0-litre V10 was good enough to grab another title in 2006. We said: “The V10 just chews through gears and the 8200rpm limiter seems very pessimistic. Mechanical refinement is superb and that’s the key to the car’s everyday potential. Despite the claimed 4.7sec 0-62mph run, the faintly ridiculous 15sec 0-124mph time, and the fact that were it not limited to 155mph it would stroll on to 205mph, this car is entirely docile and has a chassis better suited to exploiting that breadth of ability than its predecessor.”

BMW 3.0-litre Twin Turbo (2007)

This was a good year for BMW, with its 3.0-litre twin-turbo crowned overall winner, along with category awards for its 2.5-litre straight-six (Best New Engine) and 5.0-litre V10 (Best Performance). Reviewing the engine in the BMW 335i, we said: “Most of the time [it’s] really quite exceptional. If you didn’t know, it would be all but impossible to tell that the engine was turbocharged.”

BMW 3.0-litre Twin Turbo (2008)

Another good year for BMW, with the 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six grabbing top spot for the second consecutive year. There were also category wins for BMW’s 4.0-litre V8 (3.0-litre to 4.0-litre), 5.0-litre V10 (above 4.0-litre), 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel (Best New Engine) and the BMW-PSA 1.6-litre engine (1.4-litre to 1.8-litre). At the time, the German-French unit was used in the Mini Cooper S and Clubman, and Peugeot 207 and 308.

Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI (2009)

BMW’s dominance ends with Volkswagen’s 1.4-litre TSI taking the honours at the 2009 International Engine of the Year awards. As well as overall victory, the supercharged and turbocharged engine was named Best Green Engine and Best Engine in the 1.0-litre to 1.4-litre category. The photo shows Dr Ruediger Szengel, head of petrol engine development at Volkswagen Group, receiving the award.

Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI (2010)

Volkswagen’s twin-charger unit won again in 2010. The use of a supercharger and a turbocharger avoids the usual peaks and troughs in power delivery to give the engine the feel of a powerful normally aspirated engine. At the time, the unit was used to power the likes of the Seat Ibiza FR and Cupra, VW Polo GTI and Skoda Fabia vRS. Fiat’s 1.4-litre MultiAir was named New Engine of the Year.

Fiat 875cc TwinAir (2011)

Fiat’s 0.9-litre TwinAir engine was a deserved winner at the 2011 International Engine of the Year awards. The all-new, vertical-turbo twin-cylinder engine produced a strong 84bhp and 107lb ft of torque from as little as 1900rpm to deliver lively performance accompanied by a burbling soundtrack. There was one problem: fuel economy. Fiat claimed an optimistic 70mpg, but a lot of owners struggled to achieve half that.

Ford 1.0-litre EcoBoost (2012)

‘No one has ever built a three-cylinder engine quite like this. It’s one of the most technically advanced and efficient engines we’ve ever designed,’ Joe Bakaj, Ford’s global powertrain engineering chief said in 2012. ‘The new engine introduces many new technologies that could be part of the DNA of future Ford engines.’ The B-Max was the first car to get Ford’s smallest ever engine.

Ford 1.0-litre EcoBoost (2013)

Ford’s EcoBoost engine won again in 2013. The 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, which was designed and engineered in the UK, achieved the highest score in the history of the International Engine of the Year awards. At the time, Ford said it was set to double production of the engine to keep up with demand. We called it a “game-changer” as it showed how much life remains in the petrol engine.

Ford 1.0-litre EcoBoost (2014)

Ford won again in 2014, with Dean Slavnich, co-chairman of the International Engine of the Year awards, saying: ‘The 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is one of the finest examples of powertrain engineering.’ Years later, Ford was giving full refunds to thousands of customers affected by sudden failures of the EcoBoost engines. This followed a BBC investigation, which found that hundreds of engines had overheated.

BMW 1.5-litre three-cylinder (2015)

BMW was back on the scene in 2015, when its TwinPower Turbo three-cylinder was named overall winner at the annual awards. The 1.5-litre three-cylinder hybrid unit was also named Best New Engine and a class winner in the 1.4-litre to 1.8-litre category. There were also class wins for Mercedes-AMG, Tesla, Ferrari and McLaren, while Ford’s EcoBoost won the 1.0-litre category.

Ferrari 3.9-litre V8 (2016)

Get ready for a Ferrari lock-in, with 2016 marking the first of four consecutive victories for its 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine. There were four wins, including awards for Performance Engine, New Engine, the 3.0-litre to 4.0-litre category, and the overall prize. Graham Johnson, co-chairman of the awards, said: ‘It’s a giant leap forward for turbocharged engines in terms of efficiency, performance and flexibility.’

Ferrari 3.9-litre V8 (2017)

‘It truly is the best engine in production today and will forever be remembered as one of the all-time greats,’ Johnson continued. We praised the engine for having no detectable lag and a rev-hungry nature – a trait normally reserved for normally aspirated units. The engine produces 661bhp yet could manage an official combined fuel efficiency figure of 24.8mpg.

Ferrari 3.9-litre V8 (2018)

An engine such as this deserves greater detail. The F154 CB in the 488 GTB is a 3.9-litre V8 with a 90deg bank angle, flat-plane crankshaft, oversquare cylinder design and two IHI twin-scroll turbochargers, one for each cylinder bank. It produces 661bhp from 6200rpm to 8000rpm, with up to 561lb ft at as little as 3000rpm. The 0-60mph time is polished off in 3.0sec dead, with 150mph blitzed in just 13.3sec.

Ferrari 3.9-litre V8 (2019)

We said: “Ferrari’s greater achievement is to make the 488 GTB the finest turbocharged engine in production. Several manufacturers have moved from natural aspiration to turbocharging recently, but among them, the 488’s engine is remarkable for how little lag there is and how convincingly speed builds towards the top end, as it rattles into the 8000rpm limiter, when it feels like it’s barely out of the mid-range.”

New Vauxhall Astra confirmed by 2030 with less "traditional" shape

Mon, 8 Jun 2026 13:20:07 +0100

Next Astra will be built in Germany on new platform; could become a crossover but will keep estate

The Vauxhall Astra will be reinvented for a new generation by the end of the decade, morphing into a less "traditional" shape as it aims to maintain market share in the face of soaring SUV demand.

Vauxhall-Opel has confirmed the new Astra is one of "at least" four new models it will launch by 2030, alongside the next-generation Corsa, a new SUV co-developed with Leapmotor and an as-yet-unnamed new car that is expected to replace the current Mokka.

To be built at Opel's base in Russelsheim, Germany, the new Astra will move onto parent company Stellantis's new STLA One modular architecture - which offers the flexibility for electric and hybrid drivetrains and will underpin the majority of upcoming Stellantis cars in Europe.

Vauxhall hasn't given a precise launch date, but the facelifted version of the current Astra is just arriving in showrooms now, suggesting its replacement is at least three years away.

Speaking to UK media following the announcement of the new Astra, Opel-Vauxhall CEO Florian Huettl hinted at a dramatic reinvention for the firm's longest-running model line, to meet changing customer demands in Europe's crucial C-segment - most pertinently the increased popularity of SUVs.

"Whenever we look at what the next generation of a well-established car such as the Astra should be, looking at the evolution of the segment is a big deal of our work," he said.

"The hatchback segment continues to decrease. We see a lot of flow to other segments, namely the SUV bodystyles. Sometimes as smaller cars get more mature and provide more performance, people move down; and then also people move up, for example, as family life evolves."

Huettl's allusions to the increasing popularity of mid-sized SUVs – Europe's most popular type of car – gives a strong indication that Vauxhall could transform the Astra into more of a crossover than a conventional hatchback for its next generation - just as Ford is set to do for the replacement for the Astra's main historic rival, the Focus, in the coming years.

Indeed, he added that the Astra name "doesn't mean necessarily that it's a traditional hatchback", alluding to a body shape that could straddle multiple segments in a bid to maximise its appeal.

However, he did confirm that whatever form it ends up taking, the next-generation Astra will continue to offer an estate (or 'Sports Tourer') body option, because it remains "hugely popular" in Opel's native German market.

"What I can tell you for sure is that there will be a station wagon, because that's what our home market requires, and this is what we will serve," said Huettl.

He said the new car "will certainly be a BEV", but STLA One can accommodate various types of hybrid drivetrain - which Huettl suggested could mean the next Astra follows the current car in offering a range of different fuel types.

"STLA One isn't limited to BEV only in its capabilities, so we're currently looking at the right calibration of powertrain offer," he said.

"The market is highly dynamic: the electric market this year is really going through the roof, and we see a lot of demand coming depending on certain stimulus measures, but also we feel that with the current global situation people seem to value a bit more the independence [that comes with] fossil sources of energy."

Huettl said that no final decision had been reached on specific types of powertrain: "We don't have to make it yet. We'll make it in due time."

Stellantis has confirmed that STLA One will be equipped with LFP battery technology and 800V charging hardware, which means the next Astra EV is likely to offer a far greater range than the current one, which uses an adapted version of the CMP combustion car platform.

Vauxhall had previously been planning to resurrect the long-defunct Manta badge for a segment-straddling crossover flagship offering a choice of powertrains but put the project on ice in light of uncertainties in the car market.

Based on the revealed details, the new Astra would seem to neatly fill the gap left by that cancellation, but Huettl emphasised that it's a separate programme rather than a rebranding.

"The new Astra will be a new Astra," he said. "It will deliver the values and the product proprieties that our customers look for, which means a high level of practicality, loading space, long-distance driving comfort and all of that."

"There's absolutely no link" to the Manta programme, he added, and that model is "not something that today is part of our development process".

Instead, Opel-Vauxhall is well advanced on the next-generation electric Corsa, which will share the STLA One platform with the larger Astra and is likely to be sold alongside an updated version of today's hybrid Corsa; and a new mid-sized SUV based on a platform supplied by Stellantis's Chinese joint venture partner Leapmotor, due in 2028.

Why the Skoda Superb Estate is the best estate car you can buy

Mon, 8 Jun 2026 12:30:00 +0100

The Skoda Superb has reclaimed its crown as What Car?’s Estate Car of the Year. Here’s why it’s so hard to beat...

There’s a particular kind of satisfaction that comes from a car doing exactly what it says on the tin – superbly. The Škoda Superb Estate has been doing precisely that for years, delivering class-leading space, a refined and comfortable ride and tremendous value, and the the judges at our sister title What Car? clearly haven’t tired of saying so.

At the 2026 What Car? Awards, the Superb Estate reclaimed its title as Best Estate Car, beating rivals that cost significantly more and proving, in the process, that the estate car is very much alive and well.

At 4.9 metres long – a full 10cm more than even Škoda’s largest SUV, the Kodiaq – the Superb Estate is a genuinely big car. But as What Car?’s judges were at pains to point out, none of that length is wasted. So, what exactly makes it the best estate you can buy right now? Here are the four big reasons.

Test drive the award-winning Škoda Superb Estate

Unrivalled interior space

Start with the thing that defines the Superb Estate above all else: its extraordinary sense of interior space. “There can be few families whose needs it wouldn’t satisfy,” What Car? said, and after spending time with the car it’s easy to see why that verdict is so difficult to argue with.

The interior, the judges declared, is “absolutely immense” – and it earns that description in every direction. Front passengers are treated to lots of steering wheel and seat adjustment, making it easy for drivers of all shapes and sizes to find a comfortable position. Rear passengers fare equally well: there’s enough head and leg room “to ensure that a family of four six-footers can travel together in comfort,” What Car? said, and those in the back are “positively indulged,” with a fold-down centre armrest, twin cupholders and even a portrait-orientated smartphone holder for watching media on the move. Even across three abreast, the cabin’s generous width means nobody feels short-changed on space.

Then there’s the boot – and this is where the Superb Estate really separates itself from the competition. Its 690-litre luggage bay is not merely the biggest boot of any estate car currently on sale in the UK; it eclipses those of a good many family SUVs as well. The BMW 5 Series Touring, the Mercedes E-Class Estate, most of the premium-badge class that charges considerably more – none of them can match it. Only the Volkswagen Passat Estate comes close to that figure, which is perhaps unsurprising given how closely the two cars are related underneath. The boot is low-lipped and usefully square in shape, making it as practical and easy to load as it is vast.

The plug-in hybrid version’s 510-litre boot is somewhat smaller – by result of the large battery pack beneath the floor – but even that comfortably bests the rival Mercedes E-Class Estate’s 460-litre bay, and the main cargo area retains its deep, square shape. Fold the 60/40-split rear seats and the Superb Estate’s load space expands into something that becomes genuinely difficult to fill, even on the most ambitious family trip. Škoda’s ‘Smart, Spacious and Stylish’ ethos runs through the rest of the cabin, too – from generous door bins and a cooled glovebox to the umbrella stowed in the driver’s door and the ice scraper built into the fuel filler cap. These are the details you stop noticing after a while, because they quietly become part of how the car makes your day a little easier.

A very comfortable ride

Space means nothing if you arrive at your destination feeling tired and tense. Thankfully, the Superb Estate has long been regarded as one of the finest long-distance cruisers in its class, and the latest generation builds convincingly on that reputation. What Car?’s judges were particularly struck by how well it handles the kind of journey it’s most likely to be asked to do. “The Superb is anything but uncouth, particularly on the long motorway trips that are its stock in trade,” they concluded, “and it’s a tidy handler. In fact, you’ll be taking bends with confidence, such are its poise and reserves of grip.”

On the motorway, where the Superb Estate is most at home, it settles into a relaxed, unflustered rhythm that makes big distances feel smaller. Wind noise is well contained, and the suspension absorbs the worst of Britain’s varied road surfaces with admirable composure. The standard DSG automatic gearbox – fitted across the entire range – keeps everything smooth and unhurried, changing up through the gears with barely a ripple. The steering, meanwhile, is light and easy in town, making the Superb a pleasingly simple car to manoeuvre in tighter spaces, before building weight naturally at speed to provide the confidence and precision that faster roads and sweeping motorway curves demand.

Optional DCC adaptive suspension – available from SE L trim upwards – allows you to soften or firm the ride at the touch of a button, and it’s a worthwhile addition for buyers who regularly carry a full complement of passengers and luggage over longer distances. That said, even without it, the standard suspension is very well judged. Will Nightingale, What Car?’s Reviews Editor, was unambiguous after putting extensive real-world miles on the entry-level car: “It’s a tidy, reassuring handler, and none of the engines feel short on power. I covered a lot of miles in the entry-level 1.5-litre petrol-powered car, and I reckon it’s all most people will ever want or need.”

A range of engines to suit all needs

One of the Superb Estate’s considerable strengths is the breadth of its engine lineup. Whether you’re a high-mileage private buyer, a company car driver looking to minimise BIK tax, or a regular caravan tower in need of low-down grunt, there’s a powertrain in the range that makes sense for you – and every version comes with a DSG automatic gearbox as standard.

What Car?’s recommended choice for most private buyers is the 1.5 TSI e-TEC 150: a 148bhp mild-hybrid petrol that strikes a genuinely well-rounded balance between performance, refinement and efficiency. It’s far from sluggish – What Car?’s judges confirmed that 0-62mph takes 9.2 seconds, which is more than adequate for confident motorway merging or swift A-road progress – and its mild-hybrid assistance makes a meaningful difference at the pumps, with creditable official fuel economy of 52.2mpg possible. The engine is smooth and reasonably quiet in everyday use, and because of the electrical assistance it rarely feels stretched even when the car is fully loaded with passengers and luggage. It’s easy to understand why What Car? calls it the pick of the range.

For buyers who regularly cover higher mileages or tow, the diesel options make an equally compelling case. The 148bhp 2.0 TDI 150 pulls strongly and consistently from low revs, making it better suited than the petrol for overtaking on dual carriageways and managing heavy loads without working hard. The more muscular 190bhp 2.0 TDI 193 adds standard four-wheel drive and is the natural choice for anyone who regularly hitches a loaded trailer or caravan. Notably, the previous-generation Superb Estate was, by What Car?’s own assessment, the most fuel-efficient load-lugger it had ever put through its real-world efficiency test – and the new model’s improved aerodynamics can only help push those numbers further.

Then there’s the PHEV. The Superb Estate iV delivers an impressive pure-electric range of up to 84 miles – a figure that puts many rivals firmly in the shade and makes short commutes and city driving genuinely emissions-free – and its 6% benefit-in-kind tax rate makes it a highly attractive proposition for company car drivers. The battery does reduce the boot to 510 litres compared to the mild hybrid’s 690, but as noted above, that’s still a genuinely large space by the standards of any class, let alone this one.

Well-equipped and priced to impress

Perhaps the single most compelling part of the Superb Estate’s story is how much car you get for your money. It significantly undercuts the BMW 5 Series Touring and Mercedes E-Class Estate on price, yet rarely leaves you with the sense that you’ve compromised in any meaningful way to get there. As What Car? put it in their awards write-up: “the Superb Estate undercuts the equivalent Passat on price, and it’s an awful lot cheaper than the 3 Series Touring. That leaves you with more money in the bank for, you know, family stuff.”

That value is most evident when you look at the standard equipment list on the winning SE L trim. It arrives with faux leather seats, 18in alloy wheels, 14-way electric front seats, ambient lighting, matrix LED headlights and a hands-free powered tailgate – a list that many premium competitors would consider a paid-options catalogue. Add to that a large digital driver’s display, a touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and Škoda’s roster of ‘Smart, Spacious and Stylish’ convenience features, and the Superb SE L feels considerably more expensive than it actually is.

Safety is comprehensively addressed, too. The Superb Estate earned a full five-star Euro NCAP rating in 2024, matching the closely related Volkswagen Passat’s test scores, and comes with traffic-sign recognition, lane-keeping assistance, automatic emergency braking and a full complement of airbags fitted as standard across the range. Running costs are equally sensible: the 1.5 TSI mild hybrid’s official 56.5mpg figure is impressive for a car of this size and practicality, the diesel returns are even stronger for high mileage drivers, and PHEV buyers will benefit from low BIK contributions and the ability to cover daily driving entirely on electric power.

Put it all together and the Superb Estate’s case becomes almost irresistible. The boot is the biggest in the class, the interior is immense, the ride is composed and refined, the engine range is varied and efficient, and the standard equipment punches well above its price point. Which is, of course, precisely why What Car?’s judges keep arriving at the same conclusion year after year. Maybe it’s time you did too.

Test drive the award-winning Škoda Superb Estate

If Porsche's GT boss likes virtual gearshifts, you can too

Mon, 8 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0100

After years of dismissing synthetic gearshifts as "gimmicks," Porsche has been won over by the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

This week my brain dredged up Dr Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham.

In it the unnamed narrator insists to Sam-I-am that the titular dish disgusts him, only to eventually try it and, sure enough, love it. For green eggs and ham substitute an electric car with synthetic gearchanges, and for our presumptuous unnamed narrator Porsche.

The rise of the virtual gearbox: Why EV sports cars are faking it

Executives at the German company have for years insisted that 'ugh, it isn't in our DNA to do something so revoltingly pretend; Porsche will never stoop to such a gimmick' - or words to that effect. Meanwhile, the rest of us have been quietly won over by the e-Shift in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.

Then we found out that Andreas Preuninger had recently had a go in Hyundai's 641bhp EV. Preuninger is the man who has over 25 years sculpted Porsche's GT division in his own image. The screechiest, lightest, most salivatory Porsches of the modern era are his babies, and his takeaway from the 5 N was that its pretend gearshifts were the most impressive thing about it. Welcome to the club, Andy.

I'll admit to being relieved that somebody high up at Porsche has taken notice. Electric performance cars are upon us and, whatever the sales charts say in the near term, are only going to grow in number. If you're a manufacturer, there's no point being dogmatic about not having this or that 'gimmick when we're so early on the innovation curve. Not when one of the first of those innovations can so instantly and fundamentally boost your enjoyment of the car.

I can remember trying the 5 N for the first time on a track and immediately thinking: 'Holy hell, Hyundai is properly onto something here.' If you're the kind of person more inclined to praise a car for having pedals perfectly set for heel-and-toe downshifts, loving the e-Shift function felt pretty rogue, but did it add depth to the driving experience? Without a doubt.

For one thing, simply being in one of many gears gives context to road speed. With a single-speed gearbox, endless torque and slick modern damping, you can become removed from how fast you're travelling. Vision becomes your only cue. If I have an awareness, consciously or otherwise, that I'm halfway up third gear, I instinctively know I'm in a vaguely sensible place. Top of fourth? It's getting silly. Most supersonic EVs reduce you to speedo watching.

It's also true that, in an ICE car, a downshift or two is the curtain-raiser for a juicy corner. You brake, shuffle down the 'box to settle yourself or elicit some weight transfer over the front axle, and turn in. Maybe you blend all three. It's fun and interesting. You establish rhythm. A single-speed EV is comparatively binary-less fun, interesting and rhythmic. It's the particular ebb and flow of multi-geared power delivery that matters, not how the power itself is generated.

Of course, if the tuning is poor, then such a synthesised system isn't worth having in an EV (hello, Lexus RZ). But the tuning of the Hyundai system is exceptionally good, to the extent that it may have blindsided Preuninger. You can forget that your right foot isn't controlling an engine. Lifting off at 6000rpm in third generates a subtly different amount of drag to doing the same at 6000rpm in second, and the sense of momentum building and the digital crankshaft accelerating as you pull through gears is spookily natural (the least convincing bit of the set-up in the 5 N is the exhaust note-also the easiest problem to solve).

The system is rewarding enough to have you frequently using the shift paddles, at which point you begin to wonder if, instead of paddles, why not a third pedal and a gearlever? Calibrating a single-speed electric driveline to behave like one with a six-speed manual gearbox would be frighteningly complex. For a start, there are endless ways even to feed in a clutch after shifting, and if the system were to feel intuitive, these would need to be accounted for.

It's a bit of a mad idea, but someone will try to do it at some point, and why shouldn't that be Porsche - newly receptive to the idea of fake shifts and in recent years a true stalwart of the manual gearbox? This is why Porsche's potential involvement in this space is encouraging. It will approach the synthetic shifts in a Porsche way - through the lens of an enthusiast. Anybody who has pulled for a 9000rpm upshift in a 911 GT3 fitted with the jewel-like Sport PDK gearbox knows how seriously they take the business of cog-swapping in Zuffenhausen. Just painstakingly recreate that digitally and pop it in an electric Cayman, please.

The best ever shooting brakes

Mon, 8 Jun 2026 06:44:04 +0100

Everyone loves a fast wagon - and in this story we're rounding up the very best you've ever been able to buy

What’s the difference between an estate and a shooting brake?

A lot has been lost in the mists of time and marketing, but the latter has to have some sass to its styling. Practicality isn’t the overriding concern of most shooting brakes, but added load space is certainly handy. Here’s our run-down of the best conversions and factory-fitted fast-back wagons:

Aston Martin DB5 and DB6

The first Aston Martin shooting brake was created for none other than company owner David Brown of ‘DB’ fame. This was created in-house, but when customers spotted it they wanted one too. So, Aston brought in coachbuilder Harold Radford to turn DB5s and 6s into estate cars. Everything from the windscreen rail back was new, so there was decent headroom and load space.

However, the conversion added 50% to the already hefty cost of a new Aston Martin, which explains why only 12 DB5s were made and half a dozen DB6s.

Ferrari 330 GT

Even by Ferrari standards, this 330 GT Shooting Brake is sensationally styled. Conceived by Luigi Chinetti Jnr, son of the US Ferrari importer, and Alfredo Vignale, the pair took a standard 330 and stripped it.

The only original body parts left are the windscreen and some door parts. Everything else is handcrafted and was originally finished in dark metallic green. This was how Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay owned it, but it was subsequently painted a light gold colour.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Harking back to the 1960s DB conversions, the V8 Vantage Sportsman Estate used a whole new roof section to free up extra luggage space.

It took Swiss firm Roos 1,800 hours to craft this machine, which was hailed as the fastest estate in the world when completed. The German customer insisted the Aston was capable of carrying a set of skis inside, which makes you wonder how this car managed on snowy Alpine roads.

Ogle Triplex GTS

Ogle deserves credit for popularising the shooting brake style with its Glazing Test Special, which was commissioned by the Triplex Glass Company to showcase its Sundym glass.

With curved sections of glass for the front half of the roof and side windows that extend into rear part, the GTS wowed crowds at the 1965 London Motor Show. It was supposed to make further show appearances, but only made it to Turin that year as the Duke of Edinburgh requested it as his personal car and used it for two years.

Aston Martin EG

Underneath the sleek lines of this one-off Aston Martin EG lies the mechanical components of a Vanquish. Designed by Francesco Boniolo, the name comes from the original owner’s initials.

It’s 600mm longer than the base car and has a rear hatch for quick access to the wood-lined boot. The roof has an Isolite glass panoramic panel that can be darkened at the flick of a switch to shade the cabin.

Volvo 1800 ES

Volvo and estates: yeah, yeah, old news. Well, not with the 1800ES, which was one of the pioneers of the lifestyle wagons we know and love to buy today.

It was a bold move to turn the ageing 1800 coupé into a shooting brake to keep the model alive, but it worked brilliantly and 8077 were sold between 1971 and 1973. The single-piece glass rear hatch was innovative at the time and was revived for the 480ES in 1986.

Reliant Scimitar

Reliant cottoned on to the success of the Ogle GTS very quickly, which was based on a Scimitar coupé. The Tamworth firm came up with its own GTE in 1968 with design help from Tom Karen of Ogle.

With four individual seats and a large boot, the GTE was an instant hit, helped by lusty performance from its Ford-sourced 3.0-litre V6 motor. Princess Anne was an early and devoted customer, which also added extra glamour to the Reliant.

Ferrari Daytona

With such a mixed parentage, this Ferrari Daytona Shooting Brake could have ended up as a muddled design. However, with Italian mechanicals, a wealthy American owner and British coachbuilding it became one of the most jaw-dropping expressions of the form.

Owner Bob Gittleman commissioned the car and UK firm Panther Westwinds made it happen. Access to the load bay is through top-hinged gullwing glass panels, but don’t expect much space in the wood- and leather-lined compartment.

Jensen GT

Jensen helped build the early Volvo P1800 coupé but not the ES estate, which may explain why it took until 1975 for the British firm to catch on to the popularity of sporty shooting brakes.

The resulting Jensen GT used the previous Jensen-Healey as its base, albeit with reliability and quality niggles sorted. It was a useful load carrier and the Lotus engine gave spirited performance, but sales never took off and only 473 were sold when the shutters came down in 1976.

Lynx Jaguar Eventer

The flying buttresses of the Jaguar XJ-S always divided opinion. To address that, British restoration firm Lynx came up with the Eventer that skilfully grafted on shooting brake rear to create an altogether more elegant car.

Folding rear seats were part of the conversion to maximise load space. It took 14 weeks to make each Eventer and 67 were built during a 16-year lifespan between 1986 and 2002.

Lancia Beta HPE

Even under Fiat’s stewardship, Lancia always expressed its own character and that was demonstrated by the Beta HPE. Standing for High Performance Estate, this shooting brake was very much in the mould of the Reliant Scimitar.

It used the front bodywork of the Beta Coupe but sat on a saloon floorpan for a softer ride and longer wheelbase. It came together very well and sold 71,000 units over a 10-year life cycle. Only in the final year did Lancia offer the HPE with its 135bhp supercharged Volumex engine.

BMW Z3M Coupé

Like so many shooting brakes, the Z3M was the result of a small group of dedicated fans within BMW who saw the potential in a compact sporting estate.

Working in secret, they developed the car from the Z3 roadster and it’s been delighting fans ever since. With the E46 M3’s engine up front, performance is rapid. BMW also offered a non-M version of the Coupé but it was never offered with right-hand drive.

Ferrari FF

There was so much to take in at the launch of the Ferrari FF, its shooting brake style was almost glossed over. Here was a four-wheel drive Ferrari with 651bhp 6.2-litre V12 engine that covered 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds and hit 208mph flat out.

Yet the bodywork was just as wow-worthy as it can seat four in comfort and carry 450-litres of luggage. A practical family Ferrari? Yes, other than the £226,000 original list price.

Mercedes-Benz CLA

Mercedes was quick to catch the crest of the current wave of interest in four-door coupés and shooting brakes, so its CLA wagon was right on cue when launched in 2015.

By calling this model a Shooting Brake, it cannily side-stepped issues about lack of cargo space in the boot. Instead, it’s viewed as a more practical alternative to its saloon sister. If budget allows, the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 is the one to have.

Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake

It took Mercedes till the second generation of CLS for it to expand the line-up with the Shooting Brake estate. When it did, this fast-back wagon immediately grabbed attention thanks to its sweeping looks and air of menace, especially in AMG guise.

Yet despite those rakish lines, it was still a Mercedes estate at heart and offered more boot space than a contemporary Audi A6 Avant or BMW 5 Series Touring.

Bentley Continental Flying Star

When creating this Bentley Continental-based shooting brake, coachbuilder Touring Superleggera started with a GTC convertible rather than the expected coupé. The reason was it’s simpler to make a one-off estate from a drop-top than having to replace an existing roof.

However they went about it, the Italian craftsmen came up with a handsome wagon that can carry up to 1200-litres of luggage with the rear seats folded.

Audi Shooting Brake

Audi has used the Shooting Brake name on more than one concept. But the first was shown at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show. It previewed much of the styling and design that would be seen in the second generation of TT.

But this concept had its own distinct looks thanks to the extended roofline and tailgate. There were some rumours it might go into production, but they were quashed in 2007.

Qwest Tesla Model S

The Qwest Tesla Model S Shooting Brake was inspired, like so many others, by the need for space to carry a dog. This goes right back to the type’s original huntin’, fishin’ and shootin’ roots, but the Qwest is a very modern twist thanks to being the first all-electric take on the theme.

Made by British coachbuilding firm Qwest, it uses carbon fibre for the extended roof and hatch so that it weighs only 12kg more than a standard Model S.

Kia Ceed Shooting Brake

The latest addition to the shooting brake firmament is from Kia and broadens its Ceed range from hatch and estate. It’s also a clear indication there’s demand from the mainstream market for more stylish wagons as some begin to tire of crossovers and SUVs.

The emphasis will be very much on sporting enjoyment as the Shooting Brake takes the place of the three-door Proceed model.

Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato

Aston Martin is returning to the notion of coachbuilt cars to customer’s designs with the Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake. Only 99 will be crafted by the company’s Q Division and each has an extra 27bhp from the V12 engine over a standard Vanquish.

The wagon remains a two-seater, but Aston says the Zagato becomes an ‘exceptionally practical GT’ with powered tailgate and double-bubble roof with glass inlays to allow extra light into the cabin.

Porsche 944 Cargo

The Porsche 944 offered good practicality as standard thanks to four seats and a decent boot, but for DP Motorsport it wasn’t enough.

So, this German racing team that was behind the Porsche 935 K3 Group 5 race car, grafted the rear of a Volkswagen Passat onto the coupe. The result looked just right and eight cars were made for customers at the time, plus you can still order a kit to create your own that costs €18,000.

What actually is a car platform, anyway?

Mon, 8 Jun 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Volkswagen's MQB is among the most prominent platforms, spawning a variety of models

The word is commonly used in automotive circles, yet its meaning isn't widely understood – and is highly variable

One thing the car industry is renowned for is jargon – and the problem with jargon is that terms can be interpreted differently depending on who's using them.

Electric vehicles' traction motors are an example. Are those that avoid the use of permanent magnets separately excited synchronous motors or externally excited synchronous machines? You choose, because the industry has never been good at agreeing standards.

The term 'platform' is another example. In the past decade it has emerged from being a relative rarity in automotive chat to being as common as those old favourite phrases 'unsprung weight' and 'power-to-weight ratio'.

In fairness, there's a reason why 'platform' and its stablemate 'architecture' are so widely used now, and that's because both methods of engineering design are applied to the majority of mainstream cars today. The difference between the two can get a little fuzzy, and perhaps that's because they are so closely linked, but using both approaches as a foundation to underpin the building of cars not only allows manufacturers to do so profitably but in theory should also result in better cars.

One senior engineer described the difference between the two like this. An architecture shares the same approach to designing and manufacturing components like structures, powertrains and chassis (a common bill of design and process in engineering speak). On the other hand, a platform can be described as having common underframe, chassis and powertrain elements capable of residing beneath multiple "top hats", or bodystyles.

So, for example, two platforms – those for saloons and SUVs, say – might be built using the same architecture. Or, to turn that around, a single architecture can spawn more than one platform – those for saloons and crossovers, say.

In 2012, Jaguar Land Rover's D7a architecture did just that, providing the foundation for a family of completely different vehicles under two different brands: Jaguar's XE and XF and Land Rover's Range Rover Velar are examples.

Platforms aren't new, but they are more flexible and a powerful tool for manufacturers to use and share. Historically, it could mean simply sharing a floorpan and chassis, like the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia being based on the Beetle. Most of the industry's big names have used and shared platforms in Europe, Japan and America in similar ways over the years.

In Europe during the 1980s, a prime example of 'platform sharing' was Fiat's front-wheel-drive Tipo Quattro platform, which underpinned the Fiat Croma, Lancia Thema, Saab 9000 and Alfa Romeo 164. Although the wheelbases of the four cars were the same, other aspects were quite different, especially the powertrains, from Saab's four-cylinder turbo to Ferrari's V8 (in the Lancia), so this was far from a 'badge engineering' exercise.

Since then and especially over the past decade, platforms have developed considerably in sophistication. It's more than a decade since Volkswagen introduced its Modular Transverse Matrix, or MQB. 'Modular' is another buzzword used frequently now but easier to fathom than 'platform' or 'architecture'. It underlines the fact that modular platforms and the sizes of the cars they underpin can be changed by having a choice of basic components that are interchangeable, like centre sections that are longer to extend the wheelbase or the rear floor to carry a hybrid battery. In that sense, like a child's construction kit, different cars can be constructed by selecting alternative key components from the toolbox that is a modular platform.

There are limits, though: while a centre section or tail section dimension can be altered, there must be constraints, like the distance from the accelerator pedal to the front axle line in the case of the MQB. This is to accommodate a range of engines that all have the same major dimensions and form part of the same platform, whether petrol, diesel or hybrid.

What became pretty obvious fairly rapidly (and in truth had been all along) was that EVs would require their own architectures and platforms. If a car isn't going to have a combustion engine, fuel tank or exhaust system, what's underneath everything that we see can be very different. Four-wheel drive can easily be accomplished by fitting an electric motor at both ends, and today's two-wheel-drive EVs are either front- or rear-driven anyway. Batteries are easy to fit under—or, better still, as part of—the floor.

It's easy to see how perfectly electric powertrains with essential components like inverters integrated into the electric machines that drive the car lend themselves to dedicated, electric-only, modular platforms, and that's what has happened.

Volkswagen's Modular Electric Drive Toolkit, or MEB, followed the MQB. It was designed for rear-motor, rear-wheel drive and the option of a front motor giving four-wheel drive. In between the two it is flat, a battery forming the floor and a passenger compartment free of humps. It has since been shared with Ford, as well as other Volkswagen Group brands, such as Audi and Skoda, for which it was always intended.

Stellantis has taken a more cautious approach with its range of STLA-branded platforms: Large, Medium, Small and Frame (the last one being for pick-ups and commercial vehicles). Although they are billed as 'BEV-by-design', the company qualifies that with the phrase 'multi-energy', meaning it supports hybrid drive as well — so not quite the unequivocal approach taken by others, like the Hyundai Group's E-GMP platform and Volvo's new SPA3 platform beneath the EX60.

What we have covered so far is really the mechanical side of platforms: how they have become modular, comprised of a series of building blocks using both body and powertrain parts from a pre-designed and pre-manufactured toolkit. But we hear the word 'architecture' a lot as well in terms of electrics and electronics. EVs' electrical architectures are described as 400V, 800V or both, and in this case, although 'architecture' relates to components and their functions, the higher voltage allows smaller cable sizes, reduced weight and faster charging.

You will notice that these two are also referred to as 'platforms', to describe the basis on which a car is built. For infotainment system architecture it's a similar story, because the term refers to both hardware and software. Infotainment systems have moved from individual components like 'a radio' or 'a CD player' to sophisticated networks with centralised controllers incorporating stuff like entertainment, navigation, vehicle controls and more.

The latest is probably the 'software-defined vehicle' where, for example, electronics control the character of a chassis and how a car drives, rather than traditional hardware components. Component supply giant ZF says its CubiX software platforms represent a "paradigm shift in chassis development", because where engineers have used components to define the characteristics of a car's chassis, now it's the other way around. Electronic functions will control the way the chassis behaves by controlling components. The software platform isn't tied to any particular hardware either and can be used with third-party components as well as ZF's.

As more and more aspects of a car move to drive-by-wire, these centralised electronic control platforms are likely to play a much bigger role in a kind of overarching 'plug and play' scenario that will make car manufacturing and sophistication unrecognisable from just a couple of decades ago.

Some platforms you should know

Volkswagen Group Modularer Querbaukasten

The Volkswagen Group spent an estimated £50 billion developing the MQB platform and the first vehicles to use it, led by the fabled Mk7 Volkswagen Golf of 2012. It was money well spent: the hugely modular platform enabled the company to strip away vast swathes of production complexity and has been used for more than 70 different vehicles of hugely varying sizes across its various brands. To date, more than 32 million cars have been built using the platform.

Key models: Volkswagen Golf, Seat Ibiza, Audi TT, Volkswagen Tiguan, Skoda Superb, Skoda Kodiaq, Cupra Formentor

Renault-Nissan Common Module Family

Introduced in 2013, when the Renault-Nissan Alliance was in its pomp, the CMF is actually a family of platforms, ranging from CMF-A (used for A-segment cars such as the Renault Kwid) to CMF-C/D (used for the Renault Rafale, Nissan Qashqai and many more). There are also two electric versions: CMF-B EV (used for the likes of the Renault 5 and Nissan Micra) and CMF-EV (used for the Renault Megane E-Tech and Nissan Ariya). Renault took the lead on developing the CMF-B EV, with Nissan focusing on the CMF-EV. There's also plenty of confusion about the names of those platforms: Renault renamed them Ampr Small and Ampr Medium respectively but has now changed that to RGEV Small and RGEV Medium, while Nissan still uses their original titles.

Key models: Renault Clio, Renault 5, Nissan Juke, Nissan Qashqai, Mitsubishi Outlander, Renault Scenic E-Tech, Alpine A390

STLA Medium

Stellantis has four main platforms for its multitude of brands, labelled STLA Small, STLA Medium, STLA Large and, for pick-up trucks and commercial vehicles, STLA Frame. The core of its European line-up sits on the electric-first STLA Medium, which has its roots in the Efficient Modular Platform 2 (EMP2) that was developed by the PSA Group and launched in 2013. The STLA Medium is designed for the C- and D-segments, in which Stellantis sells more than 20 models—part of the reason it can produce up to two million vehicles on the platform each year. In electric form, the STLA Medium can accept two different battery sizes and front- and four-wheel-drive powertrains.

Key models: Peugeot 3008, Vauxhall Grandland, Jeep Compass, DS N°7

Setting sun: Japan's car makers deprioritise Europe as China races in

Mon, 8 Jun 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi are among the Japanese firms to look to other global markets for growth

Nissan’s announcement that Jaecoo owner Chery is ready to take over one of the two production lines at its underutilised Sunderland plant neatly illustrates a wider trend: that Japanese car companies are facing an existential crisis in Europe as their fingertip hold on a difficult market is now starting to crumble in the face of Chinese competition.

All Japanese brands bar Toyota are struggling to compete in the region and Nissan is the latest to admit that it can no longer commit to developing models just for Europe.

“The competition is getting more and more severe with Chinese players,” said Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa at last month's Financial Times Future of the Car Summit. “Traditionally we were investing a lot in specific products for Europe. With the scale that we have, it has proven not sustainable.”

Nissan becomes the latest Japanese brand after Honda and Mitsubishi to deprioritise Europe and instead focus on core regions, which in Nissan’s case means Japan, North America and China.

“By leveraging these larger markets, we support the amortisation of such products and don't [put] the burden on an operation that is smaller,” said Espinosa. “What we're doing is actually finding a sustainable way of staying in Europe.”

Japanese manufacturers shook up the European market in the 1970s and 1980s, when their superior manufacturing techniques produced more reliable transport. Despite the fears of local automotive executives, though, Japanese brands never really gained their predicted foothold in Europe and struggled to increase market share beyond around 13%.

“Many Japanese brands were hugely successful in the era when reliability was the key differentiator. As quality converged across the industry, that advantage became less powerful,” said David Bailey, professor of business economics at the Birmingham Business School.

That contrasted with their success in the US, where last year Japanese marques led by Toyota, Honda and Nissan accounted for a third of the market. “Japanese brands cracked America by offering exactly what US buyers wanted: reliable, affordable, sensible family transport. In Europe, being sensible isn’t always enough. Buyers often want heritage, design flair or a premium badge as well,” said Bailey.

Now that the Chinese are making serious inroads into the European market, Japanese brands are first in the firing line. “Japanese brands are coming under increasing pressure from Chinese OEMs that are migrating to hybrids to avoid anti-subsidy tariffs and stepping all over Japanese players' toes,” said automotive research analyst Matthias Schmidt. “They are also targeting the same brand-agnostic markets such as the UK, southern European and Nordic markets, where Japanese manufacturers have previously thrived.”

The British willingness to give a new brand a go helped secure Japanese investment in the UK, landing the nation factories for Nissan, Toyota and Honda. Now that same brand adventurism has made the UK the biggest market in Europe for Chinese imports and the Japanese are the first to suffer.

In the first fourth months of this year, the Japanese share of the UK market dropped to 12.4% from 14.3% in the same period last year, having been overtaken by the Chinese, who captured 15.4%. In April, it was even worse, with the Japanese at 9.3% and the Chinese at 17.3%.

Part of the reason for the Japanese brands' lack of success in Europe is the fact that their cars are often developed in their home market, which has rarely dovetailed with Europe’s in terms of drivetrain requirements. After battling for years to come up with a diesel solution for Europe, Japan’s car makers now have to contend with the fast pace of electrification.

Hybrids developed by Toyota now sync very neatly with Europe’s needs after a slow burn in terms of acceptance, but EVs are another issue. Japan’s 12.6% overall share of the European car market in the first months of the year drops to just 4.6% for electric compared with a whopping 49% for hybrid. More EVs are coming but the issue stems from the lack of interest back home in Japan, where EVs accounted for less than 3% of sales last year.

China, on the other hand, tracks much closer to the electrified future that both the UK and the European Union envisage. For example, China’s share of the UK electric market for the first four months stood at 20.4%, rising to 44% for plug-in hybrids.

However, Japan’s failure to launch in Europe is not a story that includes its biggest car maker. Toyota has steadily plugged away at Europe to the point that in 2025 it recorded its biggest year to date in the region, with the Toyota brand logging 1.14 million vehicle sales.

The car maker now accounts for around half of all Japanese car sales in Europe after doggedly developing product with the design, technology and quality feel to entice buyers away from Volkswagen Group brands. Cars like the C-HR and Aygo X are region specific and Toyota has thrived because of them.

For Japanese brands without the scale to target European buyers, the solution to retain a foothold in Europe is to rely on partners who either offer the local scale or the technology to compete.

Some lean on Toyota: the current Mazda 2 is a rebadged version of the Yaris. Nissan taps former alliance partner Renault, which builds the new electric Micra based on the Renault 5 and will soon supply the Wave, a city car based on the Twingo. Mitsubishi also sources a chunk of its range from Renault, including the Scenic-based Eclipse Cross.

For EVs, the solution for many Japanese brands has been to turn to what is now their biggest regional rival: China. Nissan’s Espinosa said that collaborating with its Chinese joint-venture partner was an option for future electric platforms in Europe. Honda already sources its e:NY1 electric SUV from China, while Mazda leverages its partnership with Changan to supply the 6e electric saloon and new CX-6e electric SUV.

Aside from the early departure of Daihatsu in 2013, no Japanese brand is talking about leaving altogether. Those embracing the new, asset-light method of supplying a combination of imports and partner-developed models are posting profits in the region for now.

Mazda, for example, earned the equivalent of £84 million in the financial year ending March 2026, only slightly down on the year before. Honda posted European profits equivalent to £76 million for the same period, up nearly 200% from the previous year. (Suzuki doesn’t break out Europe in its financial results.)

However, Nissan remains in the mire financially in Europe, losing the equivalent of £252 million for the financial year but improving on the £460 million loss for the year before. The company is taking steps to reduce costs at its underutilised Sunderland plant, including shutting one of its two lines in preparation reportedly to lease or sell it to a Chinese maker, potentially Chery – the company that bought its Barcelona and South Africa factories.

Toyota, meanwhile, continues to earn strong money in Europe, posting profits for the region equivalent to £1.5 billion in the last financial year, equating to a profit margin of 4.9%, down from the 6.6% it managed from the year before.

Whether Toyota can remain strong and continue to fly the flag for Japan in Europe remains an open question. European-focused hybrid models like the Yaris Cross and Aygo X hybrid differentiate the brand from the Chinese, but brands like MG, BYD and Chery are filling gaps all the time and posting strong hybrid growth. The world’s toughest market has just got even tougher.