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Dacia Spring reinvented as sub-£18k EV with 155-mile range

Tue, 8 Sep 2026 05:00:00 +0100

Second-generation Spring leads new model push that will also bring an electric Sandero

Dacia has reinvented its Spring city car as a value-focused Renault Twingo sibling with four seats, a range of 155 miles and a price that will make it one of the UK's cheapest cars.

The Romanian brand's answer to the upcoming Citroën 2CV has gone from conception to production in just 16 months - quicker than any Renault Group model yet. It is the first of four new EVs that Dacia will launch by 2030, at a rate of around one per year.

A new-generation Sandero with the option of electric power is among those four, and EV equivalents to the Duster and Bigster are likely. But brand CEO Katrin Adt told Autocar that the new Spring is arriving first because it is "exactly the right moment" for Dacia to double down on the city car segment.

The outgoing Spring has sold more than 210,000 units in Europe in just five years, and while Adt declined to give a precise volume ambition for the new car, she said "there is a place for us to be successful" with the Mk2. "We built up that market," she added. "We were number one in the A-segment last year with an electric car, and now we have a product that is even better-priced and which corresponds even more to customer needs."

Adt said declining demand for new cars in Europe is reflective of the fact that "cars are getting too expensive", which stokes the need for a resurgence of small, affordable hatchbacks in the vein of the Spring.

To that end, when the Spring lands in the UK in the first half of next year, prices are initially set to start at just below £18,000. However, given that it will be built in Slovenia alongside the Twingo, it could be eligible for a £3750 discount under the Electric Car Grant scheme, which would bring it down nearer to £14,000.

It will come with just one powertrain, combining a 27.5kWh battery with a 79bhp front-mounted motor for 0-62mph in 12.1sec and 155 miles of WLTP-certified range. That's enough to meet "the real needs of customers", according to Dacia, referencing the fact that the average Spring owner travels just 13 miles a day, at an average of 13mph usually using the supermini as a second car. The vast majority (75%) also plug in at home, which makes the new Spring's maximum charging speed of 50kW less inhibitive.

Occupying roughly the same footprint as the Twingo, the Spring is 3850mm long, 1740mm wide and 1490mm tall. That makes it significantly larger in all respects than its predecessor, and its chunky bumpers, swollen arches and bluff proportions give it what Dacia design boss David Durand calls a "tough, well-balanced stance".

He told Autocar that when designing the city car, "the challenge was to make it tougher than the previous Spring". He acknowledged the commercial success of the outgoing car, but said it would have had even more success "with better proportions - it was a bit narrow, with small wheels".

Moving the second-generation car onto a larger, EV-oriented platform allowed Durand to "express the good Dacia proportions". He highlighted the design cues that set the Spring apart from its French sibling.

"The Twingo is a smiling, round car with funky-pop colours," he said. "We are the more modern, serious, chunky little electric car."

In particular, Durand highlighted the extra 60mm of rear overhang in the Spring, which gives it a beefier rear end while maximising space in the back seat and boot - important because the Dacia forgoes the Twingo's sliding rear bench.

Nonetheless, with 337 litres of load capacity - including an underfloor tray the Spring's boot is almost as big as that of the larger Renault 5 and, unlike the Twingo, it has a small, 18-litre frunk, enabled partly by its higher-set, flatter-fronted bonnet.

All bodywork below the window line is bespoke to the Spring, as is much of the interior-down to the trademark hexagonal air vents and YouClip mounting points for the installation of various Dacia accessories, including phone charger stays, bag hooks and extra cupholders. The entry-level Expression car comes with a smartphone mount in place of an infotainment display, while top-spec Journey adds a 10.1in touchscreen.

The new Spring will be a notably more capable car than the outgoing model in its power, range, tech and interior space. However, its expected price of just under £18,000 is significantly higher than the outgoing car's £11,990 (or £12,990 with a 100bhp motor). Even if the new Spring receives a full £3750 discount through the Electric Car Grant, it will give up its position as the UK's cheapest new car to the £12,995 Leapmotor T03.

Q&A: Katrin Adt, CEO, Dacia

Is it challenging to embody Dacia’s rugged, outdoors values in a tiny city car?

“It might be less ‘outdoor’ in its usage, but if you look at our line-up, there are cars which have more of some brand values than others, and I guess a car in the A-segment cannot be as ‘outdoor’ as a Bigster 4x4. But you see those attributes also, and you see the design language, which is very consistent.”

Can you make a profit on a small electric car like this?

“We would only do projects where we are profitable because otherwise our business model would not be sustainable. This is not good for our customers, either. We use the Dacia recipe to be profitable: this is first and foremost to concentrate on what is essential for customers and to deprioritise everything else.”

How could regulators make it easier for you to build cars like this?

“We have fulfilled around 100 [safety and emissions] regulations so far, and we still have another 107 regulations to fulfil by the end of the decade – 25% of our R&D budget and 25% of our engineers are allocated to that. The question is: is that exactly what the customer needs and wants? Because the most used button in our cars is the so-called ‘magic button’ where you can switch off all the beeps. So we have asked the European Commission – together with other manufacturers – to have a regulation freeze on small cars to get a chance to offer more affordable mobility.”

So is this as close as you can get to building the Hipster microcar, for now?

“Stay tuned…”

BMW 3 Series M350 brings 437bhp straight six – and drift mode

Mon, 7 Sep 2026 23:01:00 +0100

Replacement for the M340i keeps its 3.0-litre straight six but puts out 50bhp and 30lb ft more

The range-topping M350 derivative of the next-generation BMW 3 Series will be significantly more powerful than its M340i predecessor – and it will offer a drift mode for the first time.

Aside from the M3, it will be the only derivative of the 3 Series available with the signature turbocharged 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder engine, BMW said. It will put out 437bhp and 428lb ft, increases of 50bhp and 30lb ft respectively.

Drive will be sent to all four wheels via the familiar eight-speed automatic gearbox, giving a 0-62mph sprint time of 4.1sec – 0.6sec behind the outgoing M3. It will top out at 155mph.

The addition of a drift mode to the M350 marks a first: the mode was previously exclusive to full-fat M models, such as the M3. The setting sends all of the car’s drive to its rear wheels to more easily muster a slide. However, it will not be available at launch, instead coming as part of a software update due next year.

The M350 will ride on steel suspension as standard, although two types of adaptive damper – one tuned for comfort and the other stiffer, with M branding – will be offered as optional extras. There will also be a staggered sports tyre set-up, with 245mm-wide rubber at the front and 275s at the rear.

The first examples of the new combustion-engined 3 Series will go on sale later this year, following the electric i3. UK deliveries are likely to begin in early 2027.

BMW has yet to confirm whether it will offer a high-performance diesel in a similar vein to the previous M340d. Given the waning popularity of diesel-engined models, as well as the impending arrival of stricter Euro 7 emissions rules, it is unlikely to return. Indeed, the removal of the 'i' suffix on the model badge that previously designated a petrol engine – with 'd' for diesel – suggests the option may already be gone.

Other combustion-engined 3 Series will receive four-cylinder engines. These are expected to be updated versions of the ‘B48’ and ‘B47’ petrol and diesel powerplants offered in the outgoing 3 Series.

The next-generation BMW M3 is due to arrive next year, and, like the regular 3 Series, it will be offered with both petrol and electric power. BMW M boss Frank van Meel recently told Autocar the new EV was the petrol car's "own natural enemy", claiming its quad-motor powertrain will create new opportunities for dynamics.

Skoda CEO: "We will have to find" an electric Fabia

Mon, 7 Sep 2026 13:00:00 +0100

"This is an area we need to cover" says Klaus Zellmer of a future electric supermini

Skoda boss Klauz Zellmer says the firm “needs” to launch an electric successor to the Fabia hatchback as an entry-point to the brand in future – but he insisted the project is still in the planning phase.

The current fourth-generation version of the hatchback has been on sale since 2021, with a starting price of around £21,000 in the UK. By way of comparison, the new Epiq crossover is Skoda’s cheapest EV, with prices starting from £24,950.

Speaking to a select group of media, Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer said the current combustion-powered Fabia, along with the Kamiq crossover and Scala hatchback, would be produced “into the 2030s,” but he added: “At some point in time they’re going to fade out, and, of course, we need replacements for those such as a battery-electric version of the Fabia.”

Zellmer admitted the firm had considered an entry-level electric hatch on the cut-down platform that will be used for the forthcoming production version of the Volkswagen ID Every1 city car, but he noted a decision was made at group level that “VW takes charge of that part of the market, and we purposely stayed out of that because we’re going to cover the combustion part.”

Zellmer noted the current Fabia was “still in very good demand". He added: "That car needs to be replaced in our portfolio. What will that look like? Will it be at a price point way below €20,000 [£17,200], or a little bit above? We’ve not made any decisions yet.

“But this is an area we need to cover because if you take a brand too far, it’s like a staircase: you enter at a certain level, and if you increase the first step too far you won’t get anybody in your house. This is why we will have to find a battery-electric version of the Fabia.”

Zellmer hinted that a final decision could wait given the ongoing uncertainty over the pace at which the car market switches to electrification. He added: “Something the industry initially probably overestimated was how fast this transformation is going, but so long as we cover a decent size of the market segments with the Fabia and Kamiq, and within the group we have the ID Every1, we’re in a good spot from a group point of view.

“The Fabia, Kamiq and Scala will be in the market until the beginning of the 2030s, maybe even until 2034, then there might be a natural end if the EU keeps 2035 as a deadline [to phase out new non-zero emission cars], and so that is the time window where we will have to come up with a replacement.”

Any future Fabia would inevitably sit on a version of the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform, or its SSP successor. The firm has just launched the Epiq crossover – a BEV equivalent of the Kamiq – as part of the group’s ‘electric urban car family’ alongside the VW ID Polo and ID Cross and the Cupra Raval. That would be the most natural option for a Fabia EV that was similar in size to the current model, but Skoda could eventually develop a model on a version of the ID 1’s cut-down architecture, making the next-gen Fabia smaller.

Polestar to preview new look with Formula 2030 concept

Mon, 7 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0100

Show car will hint at new 2 and 7 models – and is first penned under design chief Philipp Römers

Polestar will provide a first look at its new era in October when it unwraps the Formula 2030 concept.

It will be the first car designed from a clean sheet under head of design Philipp Römers, who joined the company in January 2025.

This is particularly notable because, as Römers told Autocar last year, “Polestar is a design-driven company”; former CEO Thomas Ingenlath was a designer and under previous head of design Max Missoni it produced several striking cars.

Polestar said the Formula 2030 represents a “bold evolution” of its look, and it will showcase cues coming to the next-generation 2 – due next year – and the forthcoming 7, a compact SUV coming in 2028.

“Polestar’s design and brand is already so strong, it was obvious we needed a bold evolution,” said Römers.

A preview image released by Polestar hints at a more angular look with sporting cues, with a low, wide-set stance and cambered front wheels. It also appears to have an S-duct – an aerodynamic device that takes air through the front grille and directs it through a large duct in the bonnet to suck the car’s nose down onto the road. Polestar’s familiar ‘blade’ daytime-running lights remain, however.

Speaking to Autocar about his vision for the brand, Römers said: “My first decision is that it would be bad to do a design revolution, because the brand is so young.

“I don’t want to make a revolution. I want to do a bold evolution built on our values. That’s a big challenge, no question. Our brand awareness is still growing, so we have to build on our existing design language.”

He added that he had “the topic of performance in mind”, because its focus on dynamics is “a way to separate us” from sibling brand Volvo.

“The cars have to look super-attractive and should not scare people,” he said. “There’s currently a trend where car makers are designing cars screaming out ‘I’m here’ and we don’t want that. We should not look super-aggressive. Ambitious, but not aggressive. I don’t think that would fit Sweden and we should really look like a Swedish performance brand.”

Polestar is, more broadly, a company in transition. Current CEO Michael Lohscheller was appointed to help turn it from a loss-making start-up into a profitable player. It made a net loss of $842 million (£623m) during the first half of 2026, an improvement of 29% compared with the same period in 2025.

Key to its revised strategy is to hit 100,000 sales per year, up from 60,000 in 2025, by targeting Europe’s mainstream EV segments.

I love my original Audi A2 - will the new EV do it justice?

Mon, 7 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0100

It's similar in shape and maintains the focus on efficiency - but there are some big differences to consider

I have an Audi A2 and I love it. I love it so much that I just spent four times as much servicing it as I did buying it.

Of course, I’ve never given Audi a penny, but I feel like somehow I’m invested in the A2 and what becomes of it. There are lots of people like me – which must be annoying for manufacturers.

Anyway, what about this new A2? Outside first. I like the profile, which is at once familiar and yet modern. It has been said the original A2 could be launched today with a few tweaks and still look relevant. Side-on, at least, that’s what this new one nearly is.

But why does it look like it’s eating a block of cheese? It’s electric, so it doesn’t need a huge grille. And the squinty eyes don’t look so friendly.

From the back, there’s the swooping roof that will soon be familiar and unmistakable. Nice. The wide tail-lights add a bit of visual girth and presence to a car that could otherwise seem tall and narrow. My A2 gets bullied by other road users because it looks meek; the greater public doesn’t know what a technical marvel and enthusiasts’ car the A2 actually is; they just see a small, tall hatchback ripe for being tailgated until it gets out of the way. It’s a level of meekness that I suppose the aggression-favouring Audi of today wouldn’t allow.

Anyway, overall I quite like the new A2.

Inside? I’m intrigued to know what the Softwrap fabric feels like. Other than its spaciousness, there’s nothing remarkable about the original A2’s interior, which was made from very sober materials and sensibly laid out.

I wonder, though, whether this A2 was too far along the development cycle for the recent arrival of Audi’s new CEO Gernot Döllner to have made a useful difference, because he has promised more round steering wheels and conventional buttons in the wake of screen fatigue.

I wouldn’t review a car without driving it, but I’m confident there aren’t enough buttons in here, the steering wheel is too square for me and it has haptic icons on its spokes.

I haven’t driven it yet, but I like a modestly powered, rear-driven EV that leaves the front wheels to just get on with turning and stopping and with a low centre of gravity and its compact size it could be good fun. I’m encouraged, anyway.

The proof of whether it’s a ‘worthy’ A2 successor is to be seen. I guess Audi will be happy if it is perceived to be one but only really satisfied if this time it makes some money.

New Audi A2 revealed as ultra-efficient EV with 400-mile range

Mon, 7 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0100

New EV follows trail blazed by 1990s supermini with big range and wind-cheating design

Audi has revived its seminal A2 supermini as a radically styled electric family hatchback which majors on efficiency and offers a maximum range of 401 miles.

On sale here next month ahead of deliveries early next year, the A2 E-tron is Audi's answer to the Volvo EX30, Mini Aceman and Cupra Born. It serves as an electric replacement for the A1 supermini and Q2 crossover, both of which retired earlier this year.

The A2 will be Audi's smallest car and its most affordable EV, with prices starting at £32,200 in the UK - making it only slightly more expensive than the A3. Autocar understands it is likely the cheapest variant will qualify for a £1500 discount under the Electric Car Grant scheme, which will bring the start price down to £30,700.

Measuring around 4.3m long and with a generous wheelbase of 2770mm, the A2 E-tron is significantly larger than its millennial namesake but maintains its distinctive rounded silhouette, short overhangs and bluff rear end in the name of maximising both aerodynamic efficiency and interior space.

The A2 rides on the same MEB modular platform as other Volkswagen Group EVs including the Volkswagen ID 3, Skoda Elroq and Audi Q4 E-tron - which has rear-wheel drive as standard. The architecture supports charging speeds of up to 183kW and can accommodate batteries up to 84kWh in capacity.

The cheapest A2 comes with a 52kWh pack that's good for 260 miles of range according to the WLTP cycle, while the mid-rung cor upgrades to a 61kWh pack for a 310-mile range. The top-tier 84kWh pack retums up to 397 miles, and that, with prices expected to top out in the mid-£40,000s, could make the A2 one of the longest-range EVs in its price bracket.

The bigger battery employs nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) chemistry, while the smaller batteries use cheaper Ilthium-iron-phosphate (LFP) chemistry. Charging is limited to 105kW but it's said still to "deliver high performance even at low states of charge and cold outside temperatures"

There are four motor options available, all of the permanent magnet synchronous variety and all mounted at the rear of the car. They range in output from 168bhp and 258lb ft in the entry model to 322bhp and 402lb ft in the most powerful car, with Audi claiming average efficiency of around 4.2mpkWh.

The most potent A2 con get to 62mph from rest in a hot-hatchback-quick 5.7sec, while the urban-focused entry model needs 8.8sec for the benchmark sprint.

Audi says the APP350 and APP550 motors use silicon carbide semiconductors that help to ensure "exceptionally low conversion losses", while the gearbox has been optimised to further boost efficiency with polished gear teeth, low-friction bearings and new low-viscosity oil.

As a result of all this optimisation work, the most efficient version of the A2 can travel up to 4.85 miles for every kilowatt of electricity it consumes, making it "the most efficient Audi of all time".

The aluminium-bodied original A2 that first held that title was capable of triple-digit mile-per-gallon figures when hypermiled.

Helping the new A2 in that endeavour are a raft of wind-cheating and loss-mitigating design features that go well beyond the characteristically slippery silhouette, which draws on the original A2.

The underside is almost entirely closed off, for example, while the wheel arches are fitted with gap reducers that minimise the space between wheel and bodywork to reduce as much as possible any underbody turbulence on the move. The wheels themselves are newly developed 'aero' designs and even the door handles have been styled to cut through the air as cleanly as possible, hence the unusual wing-shaped design.

Audi claims a drag coefficient of 0.24, which is better than even the sloping-roofed Sportback version of the Q4 E-tron. It makes the A2 as slippery as the Lucid Gravity, BMW iX3 and Polestar 5.

The interior is a departure from the cockpit treatment of Audi's other current. models, with a striking stepped dashboard, liberal use of a new recycled fabric called Softwrap and an overt focus on placing. controls "where they are most useful in daily driving" - which means the steering column and wheel host the bulk of the switches and buttons. The door handies feature haptic touch sensors in place of protruding levers or buttons, and each door has its own energy supply so they can be opened even if the car loses power.

There's a new panel behind the steering wheel to accommodate functions that would otherwise be housed on the centre console, including the handbrake, and the A2 is the latest Audi to adopt the new indicator switch that made its debut on the Q3. But the company nonetheless emphasised that all the lighting controls still "work in the usual way".

The steering wheel controls are a blend of rollers and the touch-sensitive haptics that are being phased out of other VW Group models - although Audi said they are recessed and clearly divided here to make them easier to use while driving.

The main control suite is the 12.Bin touchscreen that is housed in a curved panel alongside the 11.9in driver display, which can itself be optionally supplemented with an augmented reality head-up display to show your speed, navigation instructions and audio player information.

Boot space, at 396 litres with the rear seats up, is slightly better than that of both the Volkswagen ID 3 and the Audi A3.

Audi will give full UK pricing and specification details in the coming weeks as it prepares to open order books. Autocar understands It's likely the A2 will quality for a £1500 subsidy under the UK's Electric Car Grant scheme (as do its sub-£37k platform-mates), which would drop the entry price to just £30,700.

Skoda Superb in line for retirement as brand shapes future line-up

Mon, 7 Sep 2026 08:19:28 +0100

Skoda is considering whether the production version of Vision O concept could replace both Octavia and Superb

The Skoda Superb is set to be phased out due to shrinking demand for saloons and estate cars and as part of the Volkswagen Group’s massive line-up reduction, according to company boss Klaus Zellmer.

The Octavia has been a core part of the Czech firm’s line-up since it was launched 30 years ago, while the larger Superb was launched in 2001. Both models are currently in their fourth generation.

Skoda has already shown the Vision O concept that previews a next-generation electric Octavia, which is set to arrive before the end of the decade on the VW Group’s new SSP platform that will also be used for the next Volkswagen Golf. Notably, the Vision O sits between the current Octavia and the larger Superb in terms of dimensions.

The Volkswagen Group is embarking on a major cost-cutting programme, with plans to reduce the number of models offered across its various brands by around 50% by 2035. That is driven by a desire to achieve higher economies of scale and higher volumes for its individual remaining models.

Skoda is one of the most profitable brands within the VW Group stable, posting record sales and profits in the first half of this year with margins of around 8.5%. Speaking to a select group of media, Zellmer said Skoda currently had the biggest model portfolio it has ever had, because it is “catering for a market still divided between combustion drivetrains and electric vehicles, and everything in between such as mild hybrid, full hybrid, plug-in hybrid.”

Zellmer added “the end game is electric, there’s no doubt”, but said “we will find out” if the transition would happen naturally by 2035, the current target date for both the UK and EU to phase out non-zero emission new car sales. He said that focusing on electric cars would take out some complexity from the line-up.

But asked if Skoda’s success means it wouldn’t trim models from the line-up, Zellmer said “that’s not a given”.

He hinted that a focus on range reduction could be Skoda’s saloon and estate line-up. “We’re very proud of the Superb, and we love the Octavia,” said Zellmer. “With both models we’re very safe in the market – the Octavia has led its segment since 2016.

“The big question is going forward: saloons and limousines and combis [estates] are not on the rising path. The [next-gen SSP] platform caters for wiggle room to go up to Superb dimensions. We’re currently looking into whether we still need the full monty, or whether we will have a smart way to cover both segments and target groups.”

While the Vision O was presented as an electric concept, Skoda is considering a range-extender powertrain as an option. While the production version was initially intended to replace the existing Octavia, the slowing pace of EV uptake might prompt Skoda to extend the lifespan of its combustion models.

Skoda has sold more than seven million Octavias in the 30 years it has been on sale, along with more than 1.6 million examples of the Superb.

Group coordination could impact line-up

Zellmer said one notable change with the new VW Group strategy is that the combined portfolio will now be considered. That means each brand could potentially focus on individual market segments.

That has already been going on to some extent, notably with the decision that only the Volkswagen brand would develop an electric city car (previewed by the Every1 concept, below) on the forthcoming entry-level version of the MEB platform – although Skoda is considering options for an electric Fabia hatch.

Zellmer also highlighted the newly launched Skoda Peaq as the group’s only mainstream electric seven-seat SUV, saying: “We’re trying to make sure our footprint overall in the market is big, and we’re not standing on each other’s feet. These portfolio decisions might be surprising from a single brand point of view, but if you put the group potential together it makes sense.”

Asked if he had any concerns about the impact of the VW Group’s cost-cutting measures on Skoda, Zellmer said efficiency had long been a focus of the brand, and it already operated on “a very lean trajectory with our business model”.

But he added: “But it’s like sports: you have your fitness programme, and if you stop training and looking at your diet and everything that keeps you competitive, you’re going to lose.”

Chinese brand Li Auto eyes UK launch with i6 SUV

Mon, 7 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Successful start-up is branching out into Europe and is working on RHD versions of its line-up

Successful Chinese premium start-up Li Auto is on track for a UK launch following its planned European debut with the sleek i6 electric SUV at the Paris motor show in October.

Li Auto will begin sales in right-hand-drive markets by the end of the year with vehicles including the i6, company founder and CEO Xiang Li said on the company’s most recent earnings call.

Li didn’t specifically mention the UK, but it has become a key export destination for Chinese EVs thanks to the absence of the additional tariffs on Chinese cars that have been imposed by the European Union.

Sales of the i6 would begin in European markets in the fourth quarter of this year, Li said on the call in late August.

The i6 has been a huge hit in China since launching last year. It became the third-best-selling model outright over the first six months of this year, according to retail sales figures from sales aggregator Best Selling Cars Blog.

The i6 uses the same futuristic aero design that had its debut on Li Auto's first electric model, the 5350mm-long Mega MPV. The Mega could be a possible addition to a UK line-up, having been prepped for the RHD-market sales in Singapore and Hong Kong that are due to begin by the end of the year.

The i6 measures 4950mm long and would enter the competitive mid-size premium electric SUV market that is led by the BMW iX3, Mercedes GLC and Volvo EX60.

The model comes with an 87kW-per-hour battery for a claimed range of 720km (447 miles), as measured on the generous Chinese CLTC cycle. The European figure is likely to match that of the iX3 40 at a maximum 395 miles, but charging power at a quoted 500kW beats the iX3’s quoted 400kW.

Power is rated at 335bhp for the rear-wheel-drive version and 536bhp for the all-wheel-drive model.

New premium brands generally struggle here against the incumbent European marques, but Li Auto is expected to try to lure customers with the promise of greater technology levels and interior flexibility.

Equipment on the China-model i6 includes 16in dual touchscreen as well as a 21in rear drop-down screen and flexible MPV-style seating. The company promotes the car in China as a ‘leisure base camp’, with a rear table, rear fridge (with its own cooling/heating compressor that runs separately from the car's HVAC system) and the ability to fold the passenger seat flat to create a bed.

The car’s frunk is touted as a place to store dirty sports gear, and it can double as a sink to wash kit and drain water away afterwards. The boot has a claimed 728 litres of space, with a separate storage area under the floor

Li Auto first started producing cars in 2019, focusingd on extended-range electric SUVs that paired a large battery with a 1.5-litre petrol engine. The company introduced electric vehicles with the Mega in in 2024 (pictured below). Since Li Auto’s launch, it has sold 1.8 million cars, according to company figures.

So far, almost all Li Auto’s sales have been in China, and Founder Li acknowledged the difficulty of creating the same success in export markets. “Expanding overseas comes with its own set of challenges, particularly uncertainties around the geopolitical environment and market regulations,” he said.

Successful Chinese exporters, including MG owner SAIC, BYD and Chery, have largely focused on volume brands, while premium brands including Nio and Geely-owned Zeekr have found life tougher in Europe.

Li said the company would continue to be positioned as a premium brand. “We will carefully manage our pace, tailoring our approach to our strengths and the unique dynamics of each market,” he said.

Missed out on an Alpine A110? Grab a used example for £35k

Sun, 6 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0100

French fancy is a future classic, and a guarantee of fun in the meantime

After 10 years, six road-going versions, four race variants and at least 14 special editions, production of the reborn Alpine A110 has come to an end.

You can just about still get a new, unregistered one (there are around 40 in the UK), but they range from £58k right up to £107k, whereas used examples now start from just £35k.

Just under 30,000 A110s were made, around 1700 of which were sold in the UK, making it the third-biggest market. So don't fret about scarcity of parts or support for this slice of exotica – and we've seen cars with nearly 150k miles on the clock, so reliability seems acceptable too.

If you need reminding, the A110 is a superb car. We gave it five stars in our 2018 road test, summing it up as "quick, agile, effusive and ultimately enormous, accessible fun", and that effusive verdict is pretty much true of all subsequent versions too.

Despite Alpine using a modest 1.8-litre turbo four from parent firm Renault, all A110s are plenty quick enough. The standard tune for the Pure and Légende trims produces 248bhp and 236lb ft of torque for a 0-60mph time of just 4.5sec on our stopwatch. Top speed is 155mph.

This engine may have first been used in the Espace, but it feels like it was made for the A110. It buzzes and whooshes up to 7000rpm and hits the key metrics faster than we timed a 718 Cayman – although the Porsche was a manual and the A110 came exclusively with a fast-shifting seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

Output was bumped to 288bhp for the S and Légende GT, and again to 296bhp in 2022 for the new S, GT and GTS, improving the 0-60mph time and top speed in each instance. The S also got stiffer springs and anti-roll bars, a 4mm drop in ride height and 10mm-wider tyres.

Our favourite has always been the softer original car, though, so if you really want the added grunt, go for the more cruising-oriented Légende GT or GT.

These softer cars are more comfortable in Britain, gliding over bumps with deftness akin to a Lotus, and quicker from point to point. On an undulating, bumpy B-road, the more forgiving travel keeps the body flatter and more flexible more of the time, allowing fewer unsettling movements.

Those drivers who regularly enjoy the glassy roads of France, Italy and Germany might prefer the better body control afforded by the stiffer springs, mind you.

The steering is electrically assisted, so not quite as tactile as racks of old but very direct and accurate. What really makes the A110 fun, though, is how you can steer with your right foot, letting its back drift around the corner's apex, then applying a stab of the throttle to point the nose straight again.

The A110's cabin is much nicer to look at than an Elise's but not as well equipped or solidly built as a Cayman's. It's is still very habitable, although the lack of cupholders will annoy some.

In 2023, Alpine dropped a £100k hardcore special. The A110 R was even lighter (1084kg on our scales, or 40kg less than others we had weighed), with its carbonfibre wheels and body panels and sports exhaust. However, it was no more powerful.

As for the handling, the A110 is a real wonder, but you might find the relatively ordinary engine falls short of the mark for grunt and aural excitement at this price point.

The final-edition R Ultime tried to fix that, with 345bhp and 310lb ft, but cost an eye-watering £209k. Safe to say the sweet spot is to be found rather lower down the range.

What to look out for

Body: Alpine’s paint didn’t always stick to the aluminium body panels as well as it should have. Many cars have signs of bubbling, similar to how rust would appear. Oxidation around the wheel arches can be an issue too: the clips holding the arch trim in place react with the aluminium arches. But unreactive replacements are easy to find.

Fuel pump: Its impeller can interfere with the housing on early cars, causing it to overheat, fail or stall. A recall was issued; check the remedial work has been carried out.

Alternator: Many owners report a high level of parasitic drain from the battery, causing starting issues after a long rest. A stronger battery and use of a trickle charger will help.

Seats: The leather ‘comfort seats’ can wear poorly on the bolsters. The Sabelt buckets are much better. If you’re too tall to fit comfortably with a helmet on, check that the seats are fitted as low as they go: they’re not easily adjustable.

Servicing: The engine oil should be swapped at 12k miles and the gearbox oil at 36k miles. Many owners choose to do both more regularly. The good news is that it isn’t an expensive or complicated car to service.

Also worth knowing

British company Life110 sells a range of parts that noticeably enhance the driving experience, including revised suspension geometry, new springs (stiffer but better than those of the S), a spoiler and wheels from the A110 Cup race car.

A110s over five years old (on a rolling basis) are charged a flat ate of VED at £200 per year, while those under five years old incur an annual rate of £640. Insurance is a little more expensive than equivalents from Lotus and cost-prohibitive for youngsters but premiums for middle-aged drivers can be less than £500 per year. Classic car insurance is worth considering if your mileage is low enough.

How much to spend

£35,000-£39,999: Pre-update cars, so 2017-2021. Only a few have more than 50k miles and most have been doted on. A few are early S models.

£40,000-£59,999: The 2022 update added Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a little more power for the S, plus a new GT trim. Plenty of colours and specs to choose from here.

£60,000-£74,999: Some of the very last A110s, on 75- and 26-plates. Many preregistered examples are offered with discounts of up to £5000.

£75,000-£100,000: R models at the lower end here, rising to nearly six figures for R 70 and R Turini special editions.

An owner's view

Nigel Clysell: "I've got an early Légende with the lovely brown leather and classic blue exterior, and I couldn't have asked for a better car so far. I do about 10,000 miles per year so am up to 60,000 now.

"It has had three pairs of tyres on the back and two on the front, been serviced every six months, and had the fuel pump recall done. So far it's been faultless and surprisingly comfortable, with 40mpg possible on a run."

'We know who we are': Small cars can make Fiat bigger than ever

Sun, 6 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0100

Fiat is back to its roots as a maker of small cars - Europe boss Gaetano Thorel unwraps the game plan

To become big again, Fiat had to embrace being small. That might sound counterintuitive but, after decades of struggle since its heyday as Italy's national car brand, Fiat has finally found a path back to success by doing what it has always done best: making small cars.

Think of any great Fiat and chances are it's small. Whenever the firm has tried bigger cars lately, it simply hasn't worked. So in recent years, revitalised as part of the Stellantis empire, it has leaned into what it does well. The 500e and Panda have been joined by the 500 Hybrid and Grande Panda, and even the Topolino quadricycle is selling well. Fiat's mantra now is "big in small".

That revival has been led by long-time CEO Olivier François — who was chosen by our editors for recognition at the 2026 Autocar Awards, and who earlier this week announced his departure from the role after 15 years. But the firm's Europe boss, Gaetano Thorel, has also played a key role. While François was about big ideas and marketing wizardry, Thorel's attention to detail and sales acumen shouldn't be underestimated. That might make him sound dry, but he speaks with passion, as evidenced by his often theatrical gestures.

This distinctly Italian spirit seems a spiritual match for Fiat. Yet despite that, Thorel actually spent more than two decades at Ford, joining what was then Fiat Chrysler Automobiles only a decade ago and taking up his current role in 2021. Still, he's clearly also proud of working for Fiat and his role in its recent revival.

"We've crossed the desert and we survived," says Thorel. "Now we want to put the Fiat brand where it deserves. It's a journey, but I'm extremely happy with where we're going. Fiat is the engine of Stellantis growth in Europe [now]. We're consistently selling more than 100,000 units a month."

That success is being driven by the Grande Panda, and Thorel notes the share of sales that are direct to consumers, rather than fleets.

"If you want to measure the strength of a brand, you look at the business-to-consumer (B2C) share, because those are the customers who choose a brand," he says.

So far this year Fiat is the fifth-best-selling brand in the European B2C rankings, up from 13th last year and Thorel notes that the UK has yet to really contribute, because of the delay in the Grande Panda going on sale in right-hand drive. But there's still room to improve.

"Are we perfect? No. I have higher expectations for the 500 Hybrid than we're delivering, but when you take a car out of the market for two years, it's more difficult to reinstate it," he says.

The 500 Hybrid shows how Fiat has flexed in recent years; the plan was for this generation of the city car to go electric-only and its petrol predecessor was discontinued. But when demand for the 500e didn't pick up as expected, Fiat reverse-engineered its platform to take a small petrol engine and a manual transmission.

The 500 has been such a success story for Fiat since its revival in 2007 that its popularity has overshadowed that of the brand itself. So the Grande Panda, built on Stellantis's cost-conscious Smart Car platform and reviving the spirit of another classic small Fiat model, is what has really driven the wider brand revival—and affirmed Fiat's small car specialism.

"We have two territories: small cars and light commercial vehicles," says Thorel. "For cars, the Fiat rules are clear: we go from 2.0 to 4.5 metres [in length]."

The Topolino sits at one end of that territory, and this year Fiat has revealed the car that will sit at the other end: the Grizzly, a new C-segment SUV that will rival the likes of the Dacia Bigster. Notably, the Grizzly wasn't initially developed with Europe in mind, but that changed during development as Fiat evaluated the market.

"Grizzly is the typical example of a project that Fiat can afford, because it's global and designed to compete in Turkey and Latin America, but it also has a space here in Europe to offer family transportation with a different formula," says Thorel.

Despite being close to 4.5m in length, the Grizzly uses the same Smart Car platform as the Grande Panda, and Thorel insists that "we will shock the market when we reveal the price". The Grizzly will be followed by a fastback variant, both of which will be offered with electric and hybrid powertrains.

Beyond that, the big challenge for Thorel is the successor to the Panda. It was launched way back in 2012 and is no longer even on sale in the UK, but it remains Italy's best-selling vehicle (where it's now marketed as the Pandina).

Thorel talks of his commitment to the "Panda population" to develop an affordable successor to keep buyers who are unwilling to go electric happy. It's no easy task: there has always been demand for small cars but their profit margins are tight. That's why so many rivals have given up on them. "It comes to the social role of a brand," he says. "We have a social responsibility in Italy, for sure, and Italy is the land of the small car."

That goes as far as pushing for any future Panda to be built in Italy, which Thorel notes "is probably not the best economic decision, but to me this goes beyond economic [factors]".

Those challenges in Europe are ones Fiat and Thorel face with purpose and a clear strategy: embracing the small to become big again.

"When you know what you stand for, everything is much easier," says Thorel. "We don't feel the need to do a D-segment car or the like, because Stellantis has sister brands for that.

"Fiat is not for everybody: we don't pretend to be. But we are the brand recognised for small cars - and that's enough."

WHY GRIZZLY IS ACTUALLY A CUDDLY BEAR

Grizzly bears famously are not cute and huggable: they're carnivorous and maul things, so you probably wouldn't want to annoy a hungry one. It is, as Fiat Europe boss Gaetano Thorel acknowledges, "technically an aggressive animal".

That has given Fiat a bit of a self-inflicted challenge: to make an SUV named after a pretty fearsome animal fit into a family of small, lovable cars. So why the name at all?

"It's the biggest member of the Panda family," explains Thorel. "We've got the Panda and the Grande Panda. What's the biggest bear above a panda? The grizzly.

"Now the challenge is to make the Grizzly a Fiat animal and sympathetic and smiling. But, trust me, you will see how we do that with our advertising."

Finding cars for stars: Meet the celebrity world's best car broker

Sat, 5 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0100

When celebs, sports icons, and movie directors need a new set of wheels, who do they turn to?

Nigel Unsworth's customer list reads like a Who's Who of the rich and famous. From the world of film they include Paul Greengrass and Daniel Radcliffe, from TV and radio there are Chris Moyles and Vernon Kay, from dance Anton du Beke and Michael Flatley, from music Ronan Keating and from sport Ian Botham, Brendan Rogers, Alan Hansen and Kenny Dalglish.

Another name this car dealer to the stars has dealt with is... Well, let's just say he's a former captain of Manchester United. At this news John, our photographer and a lifelong supporter of Hereford United, which lost 1-0 to the Red Devils in the 1990 FA Cup, nearly drops his coffee mug – it once belonged to the footballer.

Unsworth explains how he came to have it. "I had come to his home to buy his old Bentley Bentayga," he says. "We're standing in his kitchen and his wife says: 'Don't forget the Bentley mug you got with it. Nigel's bought your car, so the mug's now his as well.'

"He didn't like that but she insisted: she took it out of a cupboard and gave it to me!" Unsworth had got his own back: only moments before, the United legend had pointed to his Alsatian, telling Unsworth the dog ate car dealers alive. "You better be careful," he'd said.

Unsworth insists he takes such banter in his stride. "Being able to have a joke is part of the job," he says. "These people use my services because they like to feel they're in good hands. They relax and lighten up. They've been to car dealers who haven't treated them very well. They see them coming and think 'this bloke can afford to pay top dollar'. The customer becomes resentful, their defences go up and they think I'm not going to pay you a penny."

And then there are the rich and famous who look anything but and who, on expressing interest in an expensive car they apparently cannot afford, are shown the showroom door.

"One of my customers, the British director of a famous film franchise, looks a bit of a hippy," says Unsworth. "He once turned up at a dealer to buy a new Mercedes. He told the salesman what he was interested in, and the guy directed him to the brochure stand telling him to come back tomorrow. Later the same day, he rang me and I sourced him a car."

However, on Unsworth's office wall is a chart displaying the status of his current deals, peppered with the names of celebrity customers whose identities he has asked me not to divulge.

To be honest, the cars they are buying are more interesting. Among the AMGs, Porsches and Bentleys are more modest motors, including Kia EV6s and 9s. "One customer, a big-name radio personality, has a performance car, but he wants an EV6 for the school and station runs and to sling his golf clubs in the back of at weekends," explains Unsworth.

Unsworth likens his world to a food chain, with the celebs at the top passing down their cars and prompting further sales. "Recently, I bought a Bentley from an ex-England football captain who I had just supplied with another," he says. "I sold the Bentley to a chap who owns a business up north.

He liked the fact that the car's previous owner was a football star. He had a cheaper 911 to part-exchange, which I bought and which I then sold to the regional director of a business. The chain ended there but it was fun."

Unsworth is no stranger to the world of big spenders. Having served as general manager of a Mercedes dealership in Sydney, Australia, in the early 1990s, he was offered the role of UK sales manager for Maybach and Mercedes SLR McLaren.

"Part of my role was to encourage the dealers to find customers for Maybach; people with proper money to spend." Unfortunately for Unsworth, the last thing they wanted to spend it on was a Maybach. In the face of faltering sales, in 2013 Daimler pulled the plug on the brand. Mercedes then offered him a job helping to establish a new VIP department, its aim to encourage and leverage relationships with celebrities.

Deals were sweetened with big discounts and short-term leases. "It worked perfectly," recalls Unsworth. "The high-profile sportsman is mates with a musician who's mates with the TV star. Soon they're all saying to each other: 'Did you know you can get that?' 'How does that work?' 'You need to ring this chap...'"

Very soon, the stars were asking Unsworth to find them Ferraris, Porsches... Maybe the odd Mini for the nanny: "I'd find them what they wanted, but I was personally making no money out of doing so, so in 2013 I set myself up as a car broker, specialising in high-net-worth individuals." His biggest single deal is the Mercedes-AMG One he sourced for a customer. "I tapped my old contacts for that one," he says.

"Bringing cars and customers together is what I do. I'm an overweight cupid!"

Why the supercar elite aren't scared of China's 1500bhp EVs

Sat, 5 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0100

Denza and GWM are going after European stalwarts with mega-power supercars – and it could be a good thing

Denza has premium aspirations for its European launch. First to arrive is a GT aimed at the Porsche Panamera, followed by a Defender 110-rivalling 4x4.

Adding to the brand positioning is a design centre in Milan, celebrity ambassador Daniel Craig and the Denza Z, a Porsche 911-priced 2+2 sports car. Except it's an EV with 1584bhp.

Denza isn't the first Chinese brand to launch a high-powered, competitively priced assault at the established sports and supercar brands. BYD stablemate Yangwang demonstrated the 1287bhp U9 at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed, only to return this year with a Xtreme version with approaching 3000bhp. Back in 2017, the Nio EP9 used 1342bhp to claim a Nürburgring lap record.

Do Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren view these insanely powerful newcomers as a competitive threat? And if not, should they? After all, BYD, SAIC, Chery and Geely are much more than a threat in the mainstream car market.

Other than perhaps some concern in the Chinese market, where domestic premium brands are growing in popularity at the expense of European marques, my hunch is that there isn’t much sleep being lost. Complacency? I think it's more nuanced than that.

Firstly, the global demand for electric sports cars (two doors, £100,000-plus) is practically zero. Despite the outrageous performance, buyers aren't convinced emotionally or financially – ie concerns over residual values. This a problem for European brands (Rimac, Pininfarina and Lotus) as much it is Chinese competitors.

Then there's the fact that initial impressions of the Denza Z conclude that beyond the power, it isn't a holistic finessed product. While it's easy to conclude that for all Denza’s knowhow in electric powertrains it lacks the capability to deliver dynamic engagement, I don’t think this is the reason Europe isn't overly concerned.

That Chinese products are often epitomised by segment-leading technology but lacking the dynamic and HMI sophistication of European brands is more to do with what China sees as the priority in achieving commercial advantage in the mainstream (pace of development) than any inherent inability. If Denza concluded that improved dynamic capability were the key to success in the sports car market, it would simply deploy or acquire this.

Maybe more concerning to the supercar set is GWM’s forthcoming effort. So far only the underpinnings have been seen, with the finished car due in 2027, but the GF is a more familiar recipe: a mid-engined, 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 PHEV with carbonfiibre construction and a power-to-weight ratio of 670bhp per tonne, achieved through low-ish mass as much as high power.

GWM is reportedly targeting Ferrari and developing a GT3 competition variant. Surely there will be some sitting-up-and-taking-notice now in Maranello and Woking.

What can history tell us? China isn't the first Asian disruptor. Japan in the 1970s and Korea in the 1990s honed the ‘lead with value and evolve up’ model. In the sports and supercar space, Japan has created several icons: Toyota 2000GT, original Honda NSX, Nissan GT-R, Lexus LFA. While Korea has yet to land an equivalent halo, Hyundai’s N division has demonstrated real dynamic credibility.

Yet despite these cars’ reputation, no Japanese brand has established a regular seat at the supercar table. Others have joined it over the past quarter-century, Pagani and Koenigsegg delivering the performance and technical credentials, emotional appeal and pricing power. Key to their brand appeal, as with Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche and McLaren, is singularity of the mission and the founder story.

Brand ambition and positioning is the reason I believe the legacy brands aren't phased by the arrival of another all-singing, all-dancing model from a newly launched brand. This isn't corporate snobbishness; it's about the role the sports or supercar plays in the product range.

For BYD and GWM, these halo models are part of the brand plan, not the plan itself. They are about establishing credibility for the broader brand roster, and to do so they must be linked to the rest of the portfolio, an association that will naturally limit demand for the supercar itself.

It's also possible that once credibility has been sufficiently demonstrated, the supercar may take a sabbatical. As with the Japanese, we could see generational flashes of brilliance, not a consistent presence in the sector.

Perhaps the risk of Denza etc present is more technical exposure than commercial market share. A company focused on making a statement, at the potential cost of profitability on a limited volume model, may drive innovation that embarrasses the establishment. Think the NSX to Ferrari's 348. But then also remember how strongly Ferrari responded with the 355. This is the positive impact of competition.

Rather than being concerned, I reckon Porsche, Ferrari and the likes welcome it – for competition makes you stronger.

Super-SUV showdown: Porsche Cayenne EV vs Polestar and BMW

Sat, 5 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0100

Porsche Cayenne has beaten all comers for decades in ICE form - let's see if the EV follows suit

Can a big premium electric car really do it all? You might be pondering that question, especially if you own, have owned or have ever considered owning a Porsche Cayenne – the defining, dividing, dominating super-SUV of our age.

Could an electric take on the concept have the same incredible span of versatility to its dynamic character that, over several generations, the combustion-engined car came to symbolise? To handle like a rear-driven sports car at one minute and perform like the fastest super-saloon the next. To cosset like a luxury car; cruise like a limousine; swallow cargo like a roomy station wagon; and then haul, scrabble, climb and descend like a truly capable off-roader. Apart from anything else, could a Cayenne EV have the same aura of all-conquering superiority?

It's the toughest of tough briefs, but here we are, with an opportunity to find out. Having already carried out a preliminary test of the range-topping, 1141bhp Cayenne Turbo Electric on UK roads, we're keeping our frame of reference just a little more 'real world' for this, the new Cayenne's official UK welcoming party.

A full, instrumented road test of the mid-range Cayenne S Electric will probably come later. But here and now, the base-model, dual-motor, £83,000 Cayenne Electric meets its closest, full-size, premium-brand rivals of the moment: the BMW iX xDrive60 M Sport and the Polestar 3 Dual Motor.

Unlike some electric SUVs in its orbit, the Cayenne Electric comes with two drive motors and adaptive air suspension even as an entry-level proposition. It can't be had with a cut-down battery pack in order to push the price down, either.

That's why, even though it's Porsche's base model, it's going up against mid-ranking derivatives from BMW and Polestar. You can spend less on either of those rivals, it's true. But plenty of range and four driven wheels ought to be minimum requirements for a really capable premium SUV, shouldn't they? If you want some driver appeal as well, assuming you don't need seven seats and you've got £80k-£90k to spend of your own or your company's money, these are your options. This is the contest, in other words, that the Cayenne Electric really needs to win before going any further.

It's certainly right in among those rivals on paper. It's a little down on peak power compared with the BMW and Polestar (as can be seen in the spec box at the bottom of this story), but it gives up little on the 0-62mph sprint to either rival and is very evenly matched on kerb weight.

The base Cayenne Electric isn't quite the longest-range model in the line-up – the 657bhp S Electric pips it by four miles according to the WLTP lab test, no doubt because of the different gearing of its different electric motors – but it is very closely matched indeed with its rivals.

What we have here, then, in principle at least, are three big, heavy, versatile EVs, each with real-world performance to spare and claiming to deliver 400 miles between charges or very close to it. That's worth pausing to reflect on. Back in 2024, I lined up an Audi SQ8 E-tron Sportback for comparison with the then new Lotus Eletre S – both £100,000 upmarket EVs at the time – and found that the Audi had a real-world cruising range of about 220 miles and the Lotus only about 250. Plainly not good enough, especially for extra-capable, high-end SUVs. On that score, though, it appears we have come quite a long way in a fairly short space of time.

But how will the optional alloy wheels of our electric SUV test cars (all larger than the default-fit, lab-test-figure-defining rims) affect their real-world range? Is there now sufficient margin to stop worrying about where your next charge is coming from and be confident enough about getting to your destination to really enjoy the journey? Or will the indefatigable, go-anywhere, do-anything aura that you want in any premium SUV dissipate at the first asking?

Beauty contest

As the rain falls in a damp gravel car park high in the Welsh mountains, a slightly bedraggled-looking colleague is covering up the badge on the bonnet of the Cayenne Electric and asking the obvious question.

From some angles, he certainly has a point. It looks a bit anonymous and generic, this car. From the front, it's undeniably 'lizardy'. And particularly awkward, it turns out, if you order the optional Offroad Package, which adds a clearance-boosting lower bumper that makes the car look a little like a skink with an overbite problem. The rear end is similarly anonymous, but at least the profile is recognisably 'Cayenne'.

Bottom line: the car's exterior design probably shouldn't be so inconsistent. A great design could have won a lot of people over here and made them want the car regardless of how it was powered. A key opportunity has been missed, it seems to me.

If you want a handsome SUV, the Polestar 3 knocks its opponents for six. It has outstanding proportions, appealing details and stonking wheels. (They're 22in as fitted here but have that trick of making others the same size—like the BMW's—pretty much invisible.) It wins the car park beauty contest with room to spare.

As for the BMW, how should we put this? Idiosyncratic? Characterful? Plain 'fugly'? It all depends how predisposed you are towards it. I'm surprised at how little the iX's unconventional look has mellowed since 2021 – and how little I mind, actually. It's still so strange and provocative. Likeable, though, for how well it owns that shock value. It's not being directly replaced but rather gradually succeeded later this year by the new iX5. Once it's gone, I think we will miss it.

Next to opening doors, putting bums on seats, and fiddling with things. For outright space, the Porsche splits the difference between the Polestar and BMW rather convincingly. The 3 is roomy enough if a little more snug around your head and knees, when you're in the back, than you might expect of a big, premium car. The iX, meanwhile, is quite upscale and upright, with a proper three-seat bench in the back, and space to stretch out pretty much anywhere. But the Cayenne has big-car levels of accommodation in both rows, and head room and leg room to spare. The sculpted shape of its rear-seat cushions would make you unlikely to carry more than three passengers very often. That apart, it's a very practical car indeed.

On boot space, the Cayenne (506 litres) actually narrowly beats the iX, whose 500-litre boot is narrower than you might expect but deep, and it's also roomier than the Polestar's (484 litres). In addition, the Porsche's back seats both slide and fold, whereas its rivals offer only the latter.

The Cayenne has the most convincing carrying versatility of our trio, then. For luxury cabin ambience, however, the BMW old-stager gives it some really stiff competition. I think the Porsche just edges the contest because it has the better attention to detail. Every switch has integrity and heft, and every surface and fixture feels solid and tactile. It's fastidiously expensive-feeling.

The BMW isn't so unerring, but it remains airy and inviting, with a low scuttle, a commanding feel, excellent visibility and a great sense of space.

The Polestar's cabin layout is a little easier not to like, to be brutally honest—at extended acquaintance, at least. It makes a good first impression, being very neat, sleek, restrained and minimalist, and having a more comfortable, recumbent driving position than any of our trio. But its stripped-back, touchscreen-dependent human-machine interface is just not intuitive enough. While the Porsche and BMW manage to make a few physical controls for just the right things go such a long way, the Polestar draws your focus to the touchscreen all the time, even for basic things such as adjusting the mirrors or the steering column. It strains your eyesight with overly small font sizes and diverts your attention from the road, while you prod and swipe your way through several menus, when all you want is something as simple as a trip computer running efficiency indication.

It's a premium car that taxes – even vexes – you just that little bit, instead of making you feel like your life is being made easier and better. All it takes is the context of a couple of more accomplished premium operators to provide the perspective to see it.

On the road

How fast would you like your full-size premium EV to be, sir? And just how comfortable, composed, agile, efficient and easy to drive? The answer, it strikes me, is currently a moving target.

Having spent time in lots of very fast electric cars over the past few years, I'd say excessive performance is a less dependable sales motivator now than it has been for some time. It's hard to make a really fast EV that does more than just 'go fast', as we know—or that doesn't exact a clear compromise or two, which may make the cost in pounds, shillings and pence seem harder to stomach.

So if you took a Cayenne Electric buyer and offered the choice, what would most convince him or her to fork out another 20%, 30% or even 50%, do you think? An extra 300 horsepower? An extra 150 miles of range? The ability to recharge in five minutes flat without getting out of the car or wrestling with a cable? What are EV buyers really prepared to pay big prices for? The car industry is clearly still in the process of working it out.

The new Cayenne Electric's main bet feels like adaptability. Even in base-model form it just has more dynamic answers than its competitors and can be better moulded to suit different roles and journeys.

You would probably expect that kind of versatility from all these cars but you don't really find it in all of them. The 3, for instance, has a notably firmer ride and poorer ride isolation than its opponents – something you tend to focus on in an EV, for obvious reasons. You might be willing to accept that, because there's also a simplicity and directness about its handling and steering that make it a real match for the Cayenne on outright driver appeal.

More than a match, in some respects. It feels quicker and more urgent than the Porsche when accelerating. It also grips and corners with a keenness that's abiding and accessible and it doesn't require you to dial up the right driving mode to enjoy it. The removal of the pre-facelift dual-motor car's torque-vectoring rear differential is a shame and, having tested that pre-facelift car, I do notice a bit less on-throttle cornering balance in this post-facelift 3. But it doesn't change the bigger picture, which might surprise you. If you want the clearest sporty choice in this particular pack, it's not the Porsche: it's the Polestar.

The BMW feels marginally quicker than the Porsche, too, and handles neatly enough, but it's a car with a clear luxury brief, compared with the Polestar's avowed sporting agenda. That's true, to give BMW its due, even with the iX running on its standard steel coil suspension. I've tested one on the optional air springs, which rode in remarkably plush and quiet fashion. Without doubt, that's how I'd option one. But even on steel coils the iX has a filtering, cushioning ride that makes it bob along very pleasantly indeed. It rolls and heaves around notably more than either of its rivals at pace, however, and probably feels a size larger on a really winding road. Despite what the car's voice assistant will tell you when introducing itself, then, it's not the ultimate driving machine – although it's still a pretty good one.

Which brings us back to the Cayenne, and that talent for adaptability. In Comfort mode its air suspension stays fixed at its 'normal' (read higher) ride height even as it speeds up, which gives it much of the BMW's ride suppleness and isolation. Wind the drive mode selector clockwise, however, and the car sits down and firms up on its axles, feeling more connected to the road, more contained in its body movements and quicker on its feet, like the Polestar.

The base model doesn't have the torque-vectoring smarts you get on pricier Cayenne Electric derivatives, so it can't quite run away with this contest on the road. As a keen driver, I prefer the way the Polestar steers and the firmness of its brake pedal. But it's the dynamic versatility of the Cayenne that gets it over the line and allows it to cover off its rivals' greatest strengths and feel like the quality of the field.

On real-world range, which I did promise we would investigate, there's a slightly different order of superiority. The iX rules the roost. Its 426-mile claim translated into a dependable 380-mile range as tested in mixed-roads running on its optional 22in wheels, which is very impressive indeed. The 3 sits at the bottom of the pile, its 402-mile claim becoming only 310 miles of real-world range on its optional 22in rims. In 2026 that seems low for an £80,000 premium car. The Cayenne Electric, meanwhile, abides comfortably enough between the two, delivering around 350 miles from a 399-mile claim. It also has the fastest outright rapid-charging potential of our trio.

It's completeness in the end, then, that makes the Porsche our winner here. The Cayenne Electric is classy and luxurious; spacious and practical; efficient and rangy; refined and comfortable; appealing to drive but also easy to drive.

It's the contender without a weakness. But has it got true dynamic star quality? That old voodoo that so many combustion-engined Cayennes have used to steam-roll their way to so many Autocar group test wins over the past two decades?

I think perhaps not. It's good, sure enough. But it's reachable - assailable, even. And if I were Porsche's opposition, having spent so long in quiet awe of so many generations of piston-powered Cayennes, I think I'd be feeling quietly opportunistic about the electric one.

	PORSCHE CAYENNE ELECTRIC	BMW iX xDRIVE60 M SPORT	POLESTAR 3 DUAL MOTOR
Rating	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	★★★☆☆
Price	£83,265	£93,205	£84,540
Engine	Two permanent magnet synchronous motors	Two separately excited synchronous motors	Asynchronous motor (f), permanent magnet synchronous motor (r)
Power	436bhp	537bhp	537bhp
Torque	616lb ft	564lb ft	546lb ft
Gearbox	1-spd reduction gear, 4WD	1-spd reduction gear, 4WD	1-spd reduction gear, 4WD
Kerb weight	2525kg	2505kg	2490kg
0-62mph	4.8sec	4.6sec	4.5sec
Top speed	143mph	124mph	140mph
Battery	113/108kWh (total/usable), NMC	111.8/109.1kWh (total/usable), NMC	107/103kWh (total/usable), NMC
Range	399 miles	426 miles	402 miles
Economy	3.2mpkWh	3.4mpkWh	3.3mpkWh
Max charging rate	390kW	195kW	350kW

Confirmed: VW Group plans to halve model range as part of huge cuts

Fri, 4 Sep 2026 15:56:01 +0100

The group's supervisory board has approved plans set to involve 50,000 job cuts, up to four plant closures – and the axing of the historic Seat brand

The Volkswagen Group has confirmed plans to halve its model range, dramatically reduce its technical complexity, cut around 50,000 jobs and potentially close four plants as part of the most extensive restructuring programme in its history – and Autocar has learned that it will retire the Seat brand before the end of the decade.

The measures form part of the German car maker’s newly approved Future Plan 2030, which also calls for sweeping changes to its engineering and manufacturing operations and a major reduction in planned investment.

While the plans have been previously presented by the group's management, they have now been unanimously approved by the VW Group Supervisory Board – the 20-member body that includes shareholders and union representatives. That has been a major challenge for the car maker, given the union presence, but the approval now gives CEO Oliver Blume the go-ahead for a restructuring programme aimed to make Europe’s largest car maker considerably more flexible and more profitable.

Volkswagen describes it as “the most strategically profound transformation programme” in its history.

At the centre of the strategy is a fundamental rethink of Volkswagen’s sprawling model range. By 2035, the number of models offered across its 10 brands are planned to be reduced by around 50%. Volkswagen says concentrating investment on fewer models will enable it to achieve higher volumes for individual cars, reduce costs and create greater economies of scale.

The move is intended to lead to a greater sharing of platforms, electronic architectures, software and components among Volkswagen Group brands than is the case today.

It represents a reversal of the expansion strategy pursued by the Volkswagen Group over previous decades, during which an increasing number of models, derivatives and technologies were used to cover almost every major segment of the global car market.

Future investment will instead be concentrated on what Volkswagen considers its most attractive models and profitable market segments.

Seat brand set to be retired by 2030

While not officially confirmed in the VW Group's statements on the restructure, internal documents seen by Autocar state that one of the first casualties will be Seat. The 76-year-old Spanish brand will be phased out by the end of 2029 at the latest, according to the documents, while its more upmarket spin-off Cupra will continue as Volkswagen Group’s stand-alone Spanish brand.

In an statement, Seat-Cupra said the Seat brand will continue with the launches it has already planned – namely mild-hybrid powertrains for the Arona and Ibiza, due next year – and that the brand's future "remains under assessment". It did not, however, deny that the brand would be phased out in the years to come.

It said: "As things stand today, increasingly demanding regulations, the economics of electrification and the investment required to develop a new generation of models make the decision for further investment in the Seat brand increasingly challenging.

"Several scenarios therefore remain possible beyond 2030. Depending on how regulation, customer demand and market conditions evolve, this could include a gradual phase-out of the Seat brand. No final decision has been taken.

"Maintaining this flexibility is essential in an industry whose regulatory, technological and competitive environment continues to change rapidly."

The decision completes a strategy that began when Cupra was established as its own brand in 2018 following the Volkswagen Group's failure to purchase Alfa Romeo.

In recent years, Cupra has grown with a broader range of models and a more premium positioning than Seat, allowing the Volkswagen Group to command higher prices while targeting younger buyers.

It has also overtaken its parent brand in sales. During the first half of 2026, Cupra delivered 170,100 cars, compared with 129,600 for Seat.

Seat-Cupra CEO Markus Haupt referred to Cupra as "a key driver of our future growth and profitability", stating it will drive the creation of new jobs.

For the UK, the decision brings an end to a presence stretching back more than four decades. Seat entered the British market in 1985, initially selling cars including the Ibiza and Malaga, before Volkswagen took control of the Spanish car maker in the following years.

More recently, increasing overlap between Seat, Skoda and Volkswagen has left Seat without an obvious position within the group, while Cupra has been allowed to establish a more distinctive identity.

Model line-up reduction hints at major consolidation

Seat’s demise forms part of a much wider product rationalisation.

Volkswagen hasn’t yet identified which other models will disappear, but reducing the portfolio by 50% suggests considerable consolidation across its brands during the next decade.

The changes will extend underneath the cars as well.

Volkswagen wants to converge on just two principal electrical and electronic architectures for future EVs: its Software Defined Vehicle architecture and the China Electronic Architecture. A separate architecture is planned for future combustion-engined cars in Europe and North America.

Its forthcoming SSP platform programme is also being simplified. Eight planned variants are being reduced to four, with substantially greater component sharing between them. The Volkswagen Group wants to spend less developing fewer combinations of models and technology.

Technical development itself is also set for a major restructuring, with greater responsibility handed to individual lead brands to develop systems for use elsewhere in the group.

This “one-for-all” approach is intended to eliminate duplicated engineering and shorten development times. Volkswagen will simultaneously make greater use of AI, increase engineering activity at lower-cost locations and reduce the scale of its technical development operations.

The group’s software subsidiary Cariad is to be restructured too, with its responsibilities significantly reduced. A detailed plan is due to be tabled by the end of 2026, according to an internal resolution document obtained by Autocar. Despite the cuts, Volkswagen says it will invest a “three-figure billion [euro] sum” in new products, technologies and future growth areas over the coming years.

Its new target is €135 billion (£117bn) of investment in research and development spending between 2027 and 2031.

However, this represents a substantial reduction against previous planning. The Volkswagen Group is cutting around €50bn from earlier investment and R&D over five years.

The German car maker plans to concentrate investment on fewer products rather than spreading development resources across its existing portfolio.

The product overhaul will be accompanied by another reduction in Volkswagen’s workforce. Around 50,000 additional positions worldwide, including management jobs, are expected to disappear beyond reductions already covered by existing programmes.

Volkswagen currently employs around 663,000 people worldwide and operates 111 production facilities.

Management restructure, plants under threat

Management itself is also being reorganised. Volkswagen intends to introduce leaner management structures, and shorter decision-making chains, accompanied by a new performance and bonus system.

It has also acknowledged that it has more than 500,000 cars’ worth of excess annual production capacity in Europe.

As a result, the long-term future of its factories at Emden, Zwickau and Hanover, together with Audi’s Neckarsulm plant, is uncertain.

Under current planning, Volkswagen says competitive future product allocation can’t be secured for Emden and Zwickau from 2031, Hanover from 2032 and Neckarsulm from 2034 – but the plants haven’t yet been condemned to closure.

The Volkswagen Group says it will develop a new European production structure by the end of June 2027, while alternative uses, including weapons and military vehicle production, for the four factories are also being considered.

The plants could still produce future models if sufficient reductions in manufacturing costs can be achieved, the internal resolution document points out.

This represents a major shift in Volkswagen’s approach to its German industrial base: future model allocation will increasingly depend on individual plants being internationally cost competitive rather than simply replacing an outgoing model with its successor.

China is also taking on a different role within Volkswagen’s global manufacturing strategy.

Rather than serving primarily as a huge domestic market, Volkswagen says it intends to use its Chinese engineering and production base to support other regions, possibly opening the way for Chinese-produced models to be sold in Europe.

The company says it is adapting to lower expectations for overall Chinese market growth while expanding exports towards what it describes as the “Global South”.

Its target is to export 250,000-300,000 Chinese-built cars annually by 2030 to markets including south-east Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, Africa and South America.

Volkswagen expects the programme to generate more than €1.5bn in additional annual revenue by 2030.

Meanwhile, North American operations are set to concentrate on the market segments generating the greatest absolute profit, including SUVs, pick-ups and more rugged models from the resurrected Scout brand.

Underlying all of the changes is a more conservative assumption about Volkswagen’s future size.

The group is planning annual sales of nine million cars by 2030 rather than relying on a return to the higher volumes achieved before the pandemic.

Its financial ambition is nevertheless considerably greater. Volkswagen wants to achieve an operating margin of 9% by 2030, equivalent to operating profit of approximately €31bn.

For perspective, Volkswagen sold nine million cars in 2025, generating revenue of €321.9bn and operating profit of just €8.9bn, down from €19.1bn the previous year.

This makes Future Plan 2030 less about making Volkswagen bigger than making its existing scale substantially more productive.

“We are taking responsibility for our entire workforce, for our partners and for industrial jobs worldwide,” said Blume. “Over the coming years, we will invest a three-figure billion sum to make our iconic brands even more attractive, stronger and more competitive.”

Lessons in survival: Merc's Joachim Zahn showed car makers how to beat a crisis

Fri, 4 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0100

Joachim Zahn doubled Mercedes production during the 1970s by refusing to chase reckless growth

Who would envy Ola Källenius, tasked as he is with keeping the juggernaut of Mercedes-Benz driving forward through a tornado? Surely nobody. But if anybody could provide this CEO with reassurance, it would be one of his predecessors, Joachim Zahn, under whom the German manufacturer emerged from the strikingly similar storm of the 1970s not merely intact but in better shape than ever before.

Autocar first interviewed Zahn in June 1972, a year after he’d been appointed president of Mercedes’ parent company Daimler-Benz, after 13 years as its finance chief.

“Just look at what has happened in the last 10 years,” he implored, gesturing at the various charts and tables spread across his desk. “We’ve now reached a saturation point in Europe. What worries me in this context is that many manufacturers keep increasing their production potential. We’re moving towards a useless and definitely dangerous state of over-equipment.”

As the economies of Western Europe were successfully rebuilt after the war, demand for cars had outstripped supply, because most people had never been able to afford one before – fuelling rapid growth of British, French, Italian and West German car firms. By 1965, though, signs that the democratisation of motoring in the region was nearly complete were starting to appear.

Inflation had then begun to outpace workers’ wages, leading unions to organise frequent strikes at car factories. And matters got even thornier when the US tried to escape its own economic strife by unpegging the dollar from gold, as this messed with exchange rates.

“The psychological environment and strength of anti-establishment demonstrations add to the other threats weighing on the industry,” acknowledged Zahn in 1972. “Our financial results for last year are weaker than before. The strikes in the autumn alone cost Mercedes some 23,000 cars – that is about 7% of production – and 10% of trucks.

“The cost of an unrealistic policy of floating currency and, later, the monetary readjustment have cost German industry. Our costs have grown considerably, while we didn’t increase our prices [for a year] since we wanted to help stop inflation.”

Car makers were also under pressure to reduce road casualties, but Zahn believed Mercedes had by then proven, through hosting a safety conference and revealing an ‘experimental safety vehicle’, “to the men in charge [in the US] that we are full of goodwill, even if a final solution has not yet been found”.

Yet the industry’s biggest problem of all, he felt, was that “government neutrality towards the car has become hostility and is often based on demagogy. You find it everywhere in varying degrees: speed limits, traffic limitations, parking limitations, safety and pollution rules, fiscal rules…”

Actually, something even worse was just around the corner: an oil crisis (Autocar, 29 April). Mercedes’ German order books in December 1973 were 60% down on normal levels, autobahns were limited to 62mph and there were even four Sundays when driving was banned.

Many predicted the end of large, luxury and sports cars as oil prices stayed high even after conflict in the Middle East ended, spurring many makers to hurriedly create small cars – but Mercedes wasn’t among them, Zahn believing that “‘small’ is not synonymous with ‘economical’” and diesel power was a wiser bet.

In any case, he was still preoccupied with the problem of overcapacity, predicting: “We will soon find out that investment mistakes have been made by those who based their future projections on the expansion rates of the ’60s.”

That didn’t mean he was against growth, though: rather he believed that “growth for growth with no other consideration is a dangerous philosophy, but politicians and intellectuals who advocate zero growth have no idea of the social and political tensions that would be created by a stop of all expansion and of all the dramatic changes it would impose on our world.”

Meeting Zahn for a third time in 1977, we hailed him as “one of the industry leaders who has had the most brilliant results”, his level-headed realism having doubled Mercedes’ production and made it the biggest non-American car maker. It had built some 370,000 cars (158,000 of which were diesels, enabling the firm to comply with US eco regulations) and 248,000 trucks and buses in 1976, a profit margin of 1.7% equalling £98m (£680m today).

He jumped straight back on his hobby horse: “Everyone entered a mad race to expand. This is why I have reservations about the future of our industry. We already went through a major battle in 1974-1975, but there will be others. Several firms resorted to massive layoffs. We are among the very few who have never suffered overcapacity.”

Zahn retired in 1979 and is fondly remembered by his old company as having “felt equally responsible to shareholders and employees”.

If he could see the industry now, we know exactly what he would say!

Dacia scraps plan to launch third C-segment model in 2027

Fri, 4 Sep 2026 10:49:38 +0100

Dacia had planned to follow Bigster and Striker with a third mid-sized model but will now focus on EVs

Dacia has put its plans for a third C-segment model on ice to focus on developing its new line of electric cars, including the next-generation Sandero.

The firm began its push into Europe's biggest market (often referred to as the 'mid-sized' segment) in 2024 with the launch of the Nissan Qashqai-sized Bigster SUV, and is soon to expand its presence in the category with the closely related, estate-shaped Striker.

This move into larger cars has been a highly successful one: the Bigster ranked as Europe's best-selling C-SUV in the second half of last year and Dacia anticipates that the segment will account for a third of its sales by 2030.

However, with the firm now committed to launching four new EVs by 2030 (beginning imminently with the new Spring city car), it has scrapped plans to add a third petrol-powered C-segment model.

The Striker was originally planned to be the second of these 4.5m-long models, with the closely related third entry due to follow next year.

But now Dacia CEO Katrin Adt has poured cold water on the prospect of new mid-sized petrol cars in the immediate future, citing EVs and smaller cars as the priority.

"We have a very successful entry with the Bigster, we see the potential for the Striker and currently we don't have any other plans,” she told Autocar when asked for an update on the next car.

“We are a brand with not so many products, we are concentrating on the next generation of Sandero etc, so currently there is nothing to declare."

Dacia hadn't given any details of what the new car would have looked like. Possible candidates included a sleeker take on the Bigster to rival the Peugeot 3008 and a lower-slung version of the Striker that would have been a more direct rival to the Skoda Octavia.

The next new car Dacia launches is instead expected to be the new Sandero, which will offer a ‘multi-energy’ powertrain line-up. The petrol version is expected to continue on the Renault Clio-derived CMF-B platform, while the EV will use the related RG-EV architecture from the Renault 5.

Jensen, Bristol, Marcos... Brit legends are back, but will they work?

Fri, 4 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0100

Reanimated marques have exciting plans and real driver appeal - but can they avoid the TVR trap?

Perhaps this is just where we are now: forever in a loop of car company reboots, like various superhero cinematic universes, only without the accompanying box office returns. As I write, Bristol has announced it's back, and by the time you read this Jensen will have said it is too.

At least they have returned with rather more modest ambitions than TVR did in the mid-2010s: its grand plan to open a factory the size of a Big Tesco in Wales ultimately failed, leading to the brand being absorbed elsewhere.

And despite feeling like we've been here before on the reboot front (with the S-V8 in Jensen's case and the Bullet in Bristol's), I'm intrigued by both.

Jensen currently has one new Interceptor prototype, although it says it could make another tomorrow. It's open to offers, by the way. But if none come during the cycle of development that its prototype has just embarked on, then its backers will at least have something unique to take to 'cars and coffee' meets.

For what it's worth, I like the new Interceptor. I think it looks good, it sounds mega and there's something intrinsically appealing to me about a sleek, meatily front-engined, rear-driven saloon car—albeit clearly not enough appeal for the mainstream industry to make them any more.

And although it's very big for a track car, at more than five metres long, it being a track car is clearly not the end goal. In terms of both construction and ethos, it's a car in the mould of the Aston Martin Rapide.

By Jensen's admission, there are currently bought-in chassis hardware under that unique skin (it's in touch with the people who made Aston's and Lotus's aluminium architectures), but I wouldn't say that's a bad thing at the moment.

Bristol must also hope that the market has moved to a place it wasn't 20 years ago, when it first tried—and largely failed—to sell the Fighter. Although—how to put it?—the idiosyncratic way the firm was run at the time probably didn't help.

The initial plans are to finish and find homes for only five Fighters, the chassis of which were, after the company's liquidation, rescued from a basement in Windlesham—where Gordon Murray Automotive, which is also sort-of rebooting the McLaren F1, is now based.

I recently spent an entertaining half-hour in the company of Bristol's new backer, Paul King, who talked of "closing the book on the old Bristol before launching a new one." There will be collaborations and partnerships for that, he said, and it will be "very premium, very high-end", but beyond that he says he's unsure what new Bristol will be.

As it is, though, I can see that the bespoke Fighter, especially one finished as nicely as the one on display at Salon Privé, has as much appeal now as it did back in the day even if there is talk of it costing £700,000.

Meanwhile, there are also plans for not just one Marcos comeback but, as I discovered only last week, two separate ones.

Marcos Motor Company claims it has the rights to the name and logo, to build new cars and look after heritage bits, and is developing a small sports car called the Mosquito (above). Elsewhere, Marcos Cars Ltd says its upcoming Manticore is going to "destroy Ferrari and McLaren".

As with the internet meme of two Spider-Men pointing at each other, it seems that squaring this circle won't be entirely straightforward.

But I digress. Why the continual reboots? I do understand the cachet of having an existing brand name. After all, as former JLR design chief Gerry McGovern recently told us on the Autocar podcast, "heritage is always important to a luxury brand". But you need more than just heritage. Take Aston, Lotus, McLaren or even Morgan: all the heritage in the motoring world, yet they still don't turn a profit.

This may sound like I dislike rebooted car companies or those trying to trade on earlier brand equity. Not a bit of it. Who would be so churlish as to complain about a 6.8-litre V8 Jensen or a V10 Bristol or a new diddy little Marcos? I adore the idea of all of them doing well. I'm just not sure I have the optimism.

Jensen Interceptor name returns for wild new V8 muscle car

Fri, 4 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0100

Storied name returns for 900bhp GTX track car, with road-going, four-door GTR to follow

Jensen International, restomodder of early Jensens and classic Range Rovers, is to launch an all-new car called the Interceptor, having recently acquired the UK trademark for the legendary name.

The first new Interceptor is, according to Jensen's Durran Heslop, "an idea that has been lurking for a long time". The track-only GTX will later be evolved into a road car (pictured right), which will serve as a lower-volume alternative to the likes of the Aston Martin DB12 and Bentley Continental GT.

The Interceptor GTX is a two-door coupe with a hand-finished aluminium body assembled over an extruded aluminium chassis which, Jensen admits, "contains proprietary parts" from other manufacturers (Aston Martin and Lotus use this sort of structure, too), albeit with suspension that is mostly Jensen's own.

It is front-engined, rear-driven via a transaxle and powered by a tuned GM LS-based 6.8-litre supercharged V8 (only 20% of the original engine remains). It produces 900bhp here but could be tuned up to 1200bhp later. Currently it runs a six-speed sequential manual gearbox with both paddle and central stick shifters, as befits its nature as a stripped-out track and development car.

To that end there are also polycarbonate windows all-round, a bare interior with Motec electronics, a race fuel tank, harnesses for the carbonfibre seats, an FIA-compliant roll-cage, double-wishbone suspension all-round and adjustable Nitron dampers.

It runs AP Racing brakes with steel discs - clamped by six-pot calipers at the front and four-pots at the rear - and comes on 20in alloy wheels shod with 275/40 Michelin Pilot Sports at the front and 345/30s at the rear. There is a vast carbonfibre rear wing, diffuser, side skirts and splitter, all of which will be toned down for the road cars, as revealed in the company's official images.

The Interceptor is around 5.2m long and 2m wide, with a claimed weight of 1650kg distributed 50/50 front to rear. That's big for a two-seat track car, but in line with rivals for the road-going follow-ups, which will include the GTR - referred to by David Duerden, Jensen's managing director, as a "track-forward road car" - and then the GT, "which is a pure road car".

Those road-legal Interceptors will have not only four seats but also four doors, in a style not unlike the Aston Martin Rapide. "The idea is that it's formatted as a road car," said Duerden. "It's intended to be a four-door GT".

Jensen has secured a partnership with Jeff Quale, a US-based car retailer whose father Kjell used to be Jensen's majority shareholder. Together they have invested £1.3 million to bring the Interceptor project to this stage, with a near-finished prototype that will embark on a track-based durability and development programme during which Jensen will gauge potential customer reaction. "This car has production tooling, and as it evolves it will get more involved and complex," Heslop said.

Pricing and production levels are still to be decided, but if a customer wanted a track GTX like this show car, they could expect to pay £850,000-£950,000, depending on final specification; the road-going variant is expected to cost less. "The road car is a luxury GT that puts it in Aston Martin's and Bentley's sphere," said Duerden.

Jensen could build limited volumes of the Interceptor at its Banbury HQ but hasn't ruled out making cars elsewhere, with this show car presented as a 'toe in the water' exercise. "We've still got work to do," Duerden said. "But we've been around the block a few times and know how to put a car together". JHA has restored or modified more than 50 Interceptors and Range Rover Classics including its 800V battery-electric Range Rover, the Chieftain. "This demonstrator gets us to a point," Duerden said. "It's like climbing a mountain, this gets us to a ledge. We are looking at where the road car is, ultimately".

This car is now set for six months of testing, Duerden said, during which time we can gauge reaction to the car. "We're flexible," he added. "What does the world want from a Jensen?".

The best hybrid cars 2026: PHEVs and regular hybrids rated

Thu, 3 Sep 2026 15:54:22 +0100

Hybrids combine the convenience of fossil fuel with the appeal of zero-emissions running. Which do we recommend?

Hybrids have blossomed from a leftfield choice to the definitive mainstream alternative to traditional petrol and diesel offerings. By combining combustion engines with clever electric motors and battery packs, the latest crop of hybrids deliver a tempting blend of low running costs, reduced tailpipe emissions, and zero range anxiety.

While petrol and diesel cars will be phased out of UK showrooms by 2030, hybrids get a stay of execution until 2035, giving UK drivers with feelings of disquiet towards pure-electric models peace of mind.

In recent years, hybrid technology has evolved at an alarming pace. Early plug-in hybrid models offered a modest zero-emission capability , but now several new PHEVS offer an electric-only range in excess of 80 miles. Newcomers from China, such as the Omoda, promise even more range, pushing past the 90-mile threshold on paper.

At the same time, self-charging hybrids like the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic have also grown in popularity, too. They’ll achieve upwards of 60mpg without even trying, and don’t need to be charged.

While there are several standout hybrids from every segment, our current top pick is the Volkswagen Golf eHybrid. Its everyday usability, pleasing road manners, family practicality and class-leading electric range of around 80 miles, it's a cut above its hatchback rivals.

But which other hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars should you consider? Read on to find out.

The best hybrids at a glance...

	Model	Best For	EV-Only Range	Fuel Economy (MPG)*	Starting Price
1	Volkswagen Golf eHybrid	Everyday all-rounder	Up to 88 miles	Up to 300+ mpg	£35,490
2	Toyota Corolla	Plug-free daily economy	N/A (self-charging)	60–70 mpg	£30,845
3	Skoda Superb iV	Executive space & families	Up to 84 miles	Up to 270+ mpg	£41,580
4	Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid	Supercar performance	Up to 50 miles	Up to 92 mpg	£178,920
5	BMW 550e xDrive	Driver engagement & luxury	Up to 57 miles	Up to 350+ mpg	£76,830

Handling, ride, MPG... We should also rate 'smell' in new car reviews

Thu, 3 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0100

Geely EX2: Nice enough, but why does it smell like that?

Follow your nose: How an aroma can shape your entire impression of a new car

In a typical Autocar review, we will discuss performance, ride, handling, ergonomics, electronic systems and a number of other standard things for a modern car. What doesn't regularly feature in our tests is smells. Why is this?

One possible reason we don't talk about smells very much is because they're quite difficult to convey. It's impossible to show in pictures or even video and the English language just doesn't have a particularly extensive olfactory vocabulary. You quickly have to resort to metaphor and so it quickly degenerates into a sort of wine tasting session.

Then again, the same hasn't stopped generations of motoring writers from developing a lingo to describe a car's ride comfort. Is an 'overdamped, wooden ride' any more precise or relevant a description than 'overtones of red fruit with a finish of bergamot'? You tell me.

The thing is, smells can be incredibly evocative and colour one's enjoyment of a car. I was reminded of this because the interiors of the cars I've been driving this week have all been unusually fragrant.

You might very well buy a car because its engine sounds great. Would you buy a car because it smells nice? Maybe, but I know I would definitely avoid certain cars for their interior odours.

The Geely EX2 is a perfectly worthy electric hatchback, if a bit too expensive, given that it's rather average across the board. Like quite a few other Chinese cars, though, its interior gives off a very strong, chemical smell of melting vinyl, which is amplified to a troubling pungency when the car has been left in the sun for a while.

It's a smell that lingers in your clothes, too. Even though I only drove the car for two hours or so, I caught a whiff of it when I was at home that evening watching TV.

I recall driving a BYD Atto 3 for a week and the smell being so bad that I considered leaving it at Millbrook proving ground after I'd done the performance testing and taking the train home.

I've talked to colleagues about this, and it's clearly a very personal issue, because some vehemently agreed with me whereas others just shrugged. I can pretty objectively say whether a car rides well or not, but how does one give a star rating to the off-gassing of interior plastics?

The personal element was driven home first by the Nissan X-Trail. Most new cars from 'legacy' manufacturers don't really smell any more, but this one instantly took me back to my aunt's old Nissan Almera.

The X-Trail's smell was very subtle. It must have been more than 20 years since I sat in that Almera. And even then it can't have been for long, because I have no particular recollection of it. Yet the X-Trail instantly fired up the memory by smelling subtly but unmistakably of Nissan. I even struggle to describe it. Faintly musty, I guess? Not unpleasant.

The real sensory overload (a welcome one, I hasten to add) was my 1990 BMW 3 Series, which really hits you with characteristic 'old BMW' perfume-one that calls forth many happy memories in my parents' 320i that I grew up in and my first car, a 316i.

It's a huge memory bomb that I enjoy every time I drive the car and which other people who have less of a connection to old BMWs seem to react positively to as well.

If a well-meaning car wash attendant were to place a Magic Tree inside it, there's a distinct possibility that I might get violent.

The irony is that emissions from interior plastics of the volatile organic compounds that make up smells are much more tightly regulated now than they were back in the day, so my beloved classic is probably more likely to give me cancer than the Geely, even though the latter gives me an instant reflex of thinking it can't be healthy and I should get out as soon as I can.

Nostalgia is one hell of a drug. I'd give it five stars. But it won't make it into the road test any time soon, because it's just too subjective.

Anyway, I'd like to go back to talking about spring rates and LFP batteries now, because I've typed 'smell' too many times for comfort....

VW Group considers retiring Seat brand by 2029 to focus on Cupra

Thu, 3 Sep 2026 12:07:01 +0100

Spanish brand, surpassed by its sporty offspring, is set to be phased out as part of a sweeping cost-cutting plan

The Volkswagen Group is considering phasing out the Seat brand by 2029, as part of a sweeping programme to simplify its operations and cut costs.

The proposal, which has reportedly already been approved by Volkswagen's management board, is due to go before the supervisory board tomorrow (Friday 4 September), according to German media reports.

Under the plan, Seat would disappear from Volkswagen Group's brand portfolio by the end of the decade, with financial resources instead concentrated on Cupra – the performance-oriented offshoot launched as its own brand eight years ago but now comfortably outselling the brand from which it emerged.

The Volkswagen Group has officially declined to comment on the reported decision. A spokesman said internal documents are discussed and approved by the appropriate bodies and that the company wouldn't pre-empt that process.

In a statement sent to Autocar, Seat Cupra UK didn't deny the reports but said: "The entire industry, including the Volkswagen Group and, of course, Seat S.A., is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by our commitment to electrification.

"The global context has changed significantly, with a strong impact on the automotive sector, particularly over the past year. Therefore the Volkswagen Group is working on a transformation plan for the entire Group business to strengthen its competitiveness and efficiency.

"The goal is to make the entire Volkswagen Group and respective entities more efficient and leaner and to capture technological synergy potential consistently. This strategy has been discussed in several supervisory board meetings.

"No decisions have been taken at this stage. We will inform about any strategic decisions affecting Seat SA in due time."

Seat was founded in 1950 and for decades has served as Spain's national car maker. Cupra, meanwhile, existed as the badge applied to Seat's fastest models before being established as a separate marque in February 2018, following the Volkswagen Group’s failed attempts to purchase Alfa Romeo.

Eight years later, Cupra is set to effectively succeed its parent brand.

The reasoning behind Volkswagen's proposal is reflected in the Spanish brands' sales figures: Cupra delivered a record 170,100 cars during the first half of 2026, compared with 129,600 for Seat.

Cupra accounted for almost 57% of the pair's combined 299,700 deliveries from January to the end of June.

The direction was already clear last year. Cupra sales rose 32.5% to a record 328,800 cars in 2025, while Seat deliveries fell 17% to 257,400.

It meant Cupra outsold Seat by more than 71,000 cars in just its seventh year of independence.

Cupra has now sold more than one million cars globally since its creation and has expanded well beyond rebadged performance versions of Seat models.

Cupra was initially dependent on Seat-derived cars and shared showrooms, but the Volkswagen Group has progressively given it its own products, design identity and positioning.

The result is that what began as an attempt to extract greater margins from Seat's sporting heritage has evolved into a substantially more valuable proposition in its own right, with Cupra providing higher profitability.

For Volkswagen, maintaining two Spanish brands increasingly means spending money developing, marketing and distributing cars that often compete for the same customers.

This duplication is particularly difficult to justify as the Volkswagen Group embarks on its biggest restructuring programme in decades under CEO Oliver Blume.

According to internal documents cited by Germany’s Bild newspaper, the Volkswagen Group's reasoning is explicit: continuing Seat in its present form would require additional resources while strategic development within the brand group is to be focused on Cupra.

For the UK, the decision would end a relationship stretching back more than four decades.

Seat officially entered the UK market in 1985, initially with just two models: the Ibiza hatchback and Malaga saloon. It sold only 405 cars in its first year here.

At the time, Seat had recently ended its formative relationship with Fiat and was attempting to establish itself as an independent manufacturer.

The original Ibiza was central to that reinvention. Giorgetto Giugiaro was responsible for its exterior design, Karmann worked on its interior and Porsche contributed to its powertrain development. More than 1.3 million first-generation Ibizas were produced.

Volkswagen took a 75% controlling stake in Seat in 1986, shortly after the Spanish company's UK launch, and progressively integrated it into its industrial processes.

In the UK, Seat subsequently developed from a budget-oriented import into a mainstream rival to Volkswagen, Ford, Vauxhall, Renault and Peugeot.

At its peak in 2019, Seat sold 68,800 cars in the UK, giving it a 3% market share.

The Ibiza has long been the cornerstone of Seat’s UK line-up and has now exceeded six million global sales across five generations, while the Leon helped establish the sporty positioning that would ultimately provide the foundations for the Cupra brand.

The UK also illustrates just how rapidly the balance between the two brands has shifted: Seat sales here fell 37.4% to 23,000 in 2025, while Cupra sales rose 35.7% to 41,200, meaning Cupra outsold Seat by almost 80%.

The 800bhp Lamborghini Urus that tows vintage race cars

Thu, 3 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0100

Rich Briggs-Price uses his £200k plug-in hybrid SUV to haul his Auto Union race car – and his poodle

"To my knowledge, my Urus is the only one in the UK with a towbar," says Rich Briggs-Price. In fact, Uruses have occasionally been spotted here and elsewhere towing trailers, but we won't deny Rich the possibility.

In any case, in April, when he asked to have one fitted to his brand-new Lamborghini Urus SE (the plug-in hybrid replacement for the S and Performante variants), the dealer had to check with the factory that the option was offered.

"I'm glad it was, because we need the Urus to tow our classic cars around the local shows," explains Rich. "For example, last weekend we used it to tow our 1963 Auto Union three-cylinder, two-stroke race car to a show. However, more important than the towbar is that after a lifetime of owning supercars, I wanted a car that wasn't just a two-seater but could accommodate the most important member of the family: our poodle, Dylan."

In case you're wondering, in addition to the Auto Union, Rich's car collection includes another Auto Union, three Bentleys, a Maserati Quattroporte, a Lancia Beta Volumex Coupé and a Triumph Stag, his favourite one of them all. However, for half the year he lives in Florida, so they're rarely driven.

Not so the Urus, which in the few short weeks that he's owned it has covered 500 miles - not a great deal, but they've all been local and, to Rich's delight, in the course of each one the car has definitely been noticed.

"I'm getting to an age when this will be the last time we want something really flashy and so, when we went into the dealership to order it, we thought we'd make it as flash as we could, so it's in two-tone green and orange," says Rich. "Lamborghini offers around 20 greens, I think, and we wanted the brightest and most fluorescent, and then we had all these orange accents put on it and inside it because we wanted it to really stand out.

"Lamborghini dealers know how to load the price, though. Having the door handles in black and the wheel-arch trims in gloss cost extra!" It may be Rich's car, but he has personally driven it only 10 miles.

"It's not many, but it was enough to show me that we had made the right decision," he says. "Despite its SUV proportions, it feels every inch a supercar. And yes, we wanted the badge, but we also wanted the comfort, and it's very comfortable.

"Of course we know that, being a new car, it will probably depreciate heavily. We haven't had a new car for years for exactly that reason. But for us this was our last shot, so we thought 'let's just get a new car, whether we're going to lose loads of money doing so or not'."

I tell Rich that he may be in luck, since, according to the automotive data specialists at Cazana, after three years and 30,000 miles a Urus sells for 10% more than it cost new, making it the slowest-depreciating new car of all.

He's not sure: "Whenever you trade anything, you've always got the worst one, you know? Yours is always the colour that nobody wants, and I can't see many people wanting lime green and orange! Still, at least for the moment, we're enjoying it too much to care – and Dylan wouldn't be seen in anything else."

Toyota Yaris Cross review: a 63mpg antidote to complexity

Thu, 3 Sep 2026 11:52:34 +0100

Toyota's efficient petrol-electric entry to the compact crossover class goes under the knife for another update Since its arrival in 2021, the Toyota Yaris Cross has quietly established itself as one of the default choices in the hybrid crossover class – and the Japanese firm’s best-seller across Europe. With the supermini agility, low running costs and enough practicality for those who need a compact urban runaround, the Yaris Cross is a regular sight on UK roads. But in such a competitive class, which includes the best-selling Ford Puma, there’s no time for complacency. It was only two years ago when Toyota introduced a number of mechanical and technological revisions, but now it has treated its high-riding supermini to yet another round of updates – although the tweaks are relatively modest. The headline changes come in the form of a honeycomb grille, sharper LED headlights, more standard kit. Gone is the entry-level 114bhp powertrain, with the peppier 129bhp Hybrid 130 now standard across the range.

What's London in for? My first taste of a self-driving taxi

Thu, 3 Sep 2026 10:33:40 +0100

With autonomous cabs landing in London, I tried a Waymo in San Francisco for an idea of what to expect

The driverless taxi of the future flunked the first test I set for it.

You will probably remember Waymo, the Google-backed outfit that started pilot testing (rarely has that term been less well applied) what it called 'robotaxis', or driverless cabs, on North American roads back in 2017.

Today it operates almost 4000 of them across ten US cities. With its driverless Jaguar I-Paces due to begin plying for hire in London in the near future, I considered it my duty on a recent visit to San Francisco to hop into one on Mission Street and see what Londoners have in store - especially pertinent as Uber and Wayve have just put their self-driving cabs into service on the capital's streets.

The 'hopping in' bit was probably the least satisfactory part. You hail a Waymo using a smartphone app, inserting your location and destination a bit like you would for an Uber.

I was staying in a hotel with one of those 'drive thru' valet areas. The footprint of the hotel itself extended right up to the edge of the pavement, however, the drive-thru porte-cochère (my thanks to Google not only for the ride but also the architectural terminology) being contained within that ground-floor footprint.

As far as any map might be concerned, then, it might have seemed like a portico that didn't actually exist; but an actual driver, using his highly developed eyes and brain, would have found out differently on arrival.

The robotaxi that turned up (within about 15 minutes) didn't even attempt to come directly to the spot that I specified (the hotel's front door). I would have been very impressed indeed with its problem-solving AI if it had, but I can't speak for how the hotel door staff might have felt.

Instead, there it was—with a spinning lidar sensor on its roof and rotating lidar poles on each corner, making it look like something that ought to include on-board barber service—stopping on the wrong side of the road, half a city block away, while at least partly obstructing a live lane of traffic.

And there I was, suddenly made responsible for a problem not of my making - but somehow responsible all the same.

"Are you really getting in that thing?" asked a smiling local from the driver's window of her parked Lexus. By simply pulling up in the live lane of traffic, it had blocked her in.

Luckily she didn't seem too miffed, as I did my best to remove the obstruction promptly by diving into the Waymo's back seat and prodding the touchscreen in the back row to tell it to depart. Off we duly went. I've had one or two rides in driverless vehicles over the years, but mostly in set-up test environments nowhere as alive with hazards as real-life San Fran. Wouldn't you know it, though, the Waymo did incredibly well.

We moved off smoothly, right on the cue of the lights, and made progress assuredly with the flow of traffic. It knew it could 'turn right on a red' (one up on me the first time I drove in the US) and did so safely. It changed lanes judiciously, seemingly aware of its surroundings and declining to move into the path of other vehicles. It coped with narrow lane restrictions and unexpected moves from vehicles that it was following.It also came nowhere near being wiped out by one of the city's famous cable trams, you may be disappointed to read.

When the journey ended and the time came to park again, the Waymo did better than it had on pick-up, as if it wanted to make amends. It selected a space about 50 yards short of my Target (I really was, by coincidence, going to the US retail outlet) and let me out directly onto the kerb, without blocking anyone.

The most impressive thing? The actual city driving, I'd say. Once it was moving, the Waymo handled city traffic like a seasoned professional.

I'd certainly get in one again—although I'd be a little smarter about exactly where I asked it to collect me.

Uber launches UK's first driverless taxi service in London

Thu, 3 Sep 2026 09:01:51 +0100

Wayve's self-driving taxi enters commercial service in landmark moment for autonomous vehicles

The UK's first self-driving taxis are now in service and available to order across London via the Uber app.

Starting today, Uber users ordering a ride anywhere in the city could be matched with a driverless Ford Mustang Mach-E, controlled by British autonomous vehicle developer Wayve's AI Driver technology.

The announcement comes after Transport for London (TfL) last month awarded a private hire licence to Wayve's cars.

Wayve has been testing its latest-generation self-driving system on London's streets for around a year. Dubbed 'AV 2.0', it differs from previous iterations of autonomous vehicles in that the system can use AI to make decisions for itself, rather than following pre-programmed instructions.

The company says this vastly reduces hardware costs – compared with the extensive set of sensors required by Google's Waymo cars, for example – and means its Mustangs can better deal with unexpected situations.

We've tried it already: A ride in UK's first autonomous taxi reveals the future of driverless cars

Because Wayve's cars can apply their 'learnings' – built up over years of real-world testing – to unexpected situations, they also don't need to operate in the confines of a small geofenced area.

That means they can theoretically operate in an unfamiliar city from the get-go, and it also means they can carry out Uber duties right across London from launch – with the exception of airports.

If an Uber user accepts a self-driving car, they can then unlock the doors and start the trip through the app (shown below) – before taking their seat and using a touchscreen to monitor the trip's progress.

For the initial launch phase, a TfL-certified taxi driver will be in the front to supervise the trip. It has yet to be confirmed when the cars will start running around with no human on board.

With just 15 Wayve Mustangs operating in London so far, the chances of being allocated one – out of the capital's 100,000 Ubers – is slim. But the company will expand its fleet in line with its ambition to be a leading provider of autonomous mobility worldwide.

London is the first of 12 global cities in Wayve's and Uber's rollout plan. The two firms will start offering autonomous ride-hailing in Tokyo later this year, using similarly modified Nissan Leafs.

Uber itself plans to be "the largest facilitator of AV trips in the world" by 2029 and will be offering driverless rides in 15 cities by the end of this year.

However, it says its ultimate ambition is to create a 'hybrid network' where "autonomous vehicles and human drivers work side by side", rather than the all-out replacement of its existing employees.

The company recently partnered with Rimac self-driving subsidiary Verne, and Chinese robotaxi firm Pony.ai, to offer Europe's first autonomous ride-hailing service in Zagreb, Croatia.

UK transport secretary Heidi Alexander hailed the launch of the service as "a major milestone for the future of transport in London".

She added: "As this technology develops, we want to support new opportunities for investment and skills, while recognising the important role that those working in the sector today will continue to play.

"Today's announcement further cements Wayve’s status as a technology trailblazer here in the UK and highlights how British innovation is helping drive investment and growth in transport."

Uber and Wayve are first to market with a self-driving cab service, but Google's Waymo is not far behind. It has been testing its autonomous Jaguar I-Paces in London for several months, with a view to launching in September.

However, the US firm was recently forced to reprogram its routes to avoid certain roads, after residents in one east London street complained of being woken up at night by a Waymo car repeatedly getting stuck and reversing while emitting a loud warning siren.

Geely goes after BYD with 1800kW electric car chargers

Thu, 3 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0100

Volvo and Polestar owner's rival to Flash Chargers could fill an EV in five minutes - and come to UK

Volvo and Polestar owner Geely is working on 1800kW-capable EV battery chargers that could make their way to Britain in just a few years, enabling five-minute charge times that could surpass BYD’s incoming Flash Chargers.

Speaking to Autocar at the launch of its new EX2 electric hatchback, Michael Yang, MD of the Chinese group’s eponymous Geely brand in the UK, said the first component, completely solid-state batteries, were “just a few months away” in China. He added that Britain’s prominence as a key market means it would be high up the list of non-domestic markets to receive the technology in the future.

“In China we are already developing an ultra-fast-charging facility, where efficiency is rated at 1800 kilowatts,” said Yang. “And we also have Zeekr [another Geely brand] cars that are capable of ultra-rapid 900V charging on the roads, so the speed of development is very high.”

Zeekr’s line-up of saloons and SUVs include models capable of 600kW charging that enables sub-10-minute 10-80% charge times, emphasising how far ahead of Britain China is in terms of present-day charging.

But following successful UK launches in recent years and months, Geely, BYD and SAIC Motor-owned MG are among those racing to bring even higher-performance technology here. Ambitions are already high, as evidenced by Geely’s self-set target to grow its UK market share to 5% by 2030. That means it would need to sell 100,000 vehicles per year, more than 10 times its present performance.

“We are ambitious, but we also have to have a more pragmatic approach to the UK than China, because it’s very different,” cautioned Yang. “First, we’re aiming to give as many people access to charging as we can, with a wall charger at home. And then we will work to introduce cars capable of ultra-fast charging, which will require us to bring ultra-high-kilowatt chargers here. To do that, we will first have to work with charging partners.”

Like the Flash Charging system of its arch rival, Geely intends to make use of batteries stored on site to deliver its plus-1000kW of performance. Once the technology is rolled out via partners, Yang envisages a time when chargers will be Geely-branded. He added that they would be open for use by all electric cars and not just Geely group models, because “a charging station is just like a petrol station, and no petrol station can make enough money by providing a service to only brand or model”.

Nissan Leaf road test: better than ever, yet too little too late?

Thu, 3 Sep 2026 08:22:56 +0100

Can the EV trailblazer once more lead by example in its third generation? Remember the Nissan Leaf? Nissan’s original pioneer beat the rest of the industry to a somewhat credible electric car in 2010, but then slowly faded away as more advanced alternatives came along. The vastly more state-of-the-art third generation was unveiled in June 2025, we drove a prototype at the same time and it was due to hit UK roads in early 2026.Since then, Japanese-made Leafs have gone on sale in the rest of the world – including the EV-sceptic US – but things have been awfully quiet around European-market cars built in Sunderland. There has reportedly been trouble getting the new local battery factory set up, and local drivetrain production was scrapped and moved to Japan, but now it’s finally here.The new Leaf is an important car for Nissan, because it really needs a compact EV to boost its European sales, and it’s an important car for Sunderland to retain its relevance.On paper at least the Leaf looks competitive. It’s attractively priced, and with the large battery option offering up to 387 miles of range it’s up there at the sharp end of the class with the Volkswagen Group MEB triplets (the VW ID3, Cupra Born and Skoda Elroq), the Kia EV4, the Toyota C-HR+ and others. Now for the full road test.

Relaxed EV rules could supercharge Chinese PHEV growth in UK

Thu, 3 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0100

Petrol and hybrid Jaecoo 7 (right) outsell the electric E5 (middle)

Specialists claim low-cost EVs were a shoo-in for new entrants amid rising PHEV and ICE sales

Experts have challenged the perception of Chinese manufacturers as electric vehicle brands, claiming the initial wave of low-cost EVs allowed them to gain traction in the UK before increasing sales of plug-in hybrids and ICEs.

A senior fleet industry source described EVs from new entrants as “a Trojan Horse” and pointed to the popularity of PHEVs sold by the same brands.

“I think the industry has been sleepwalking into this, and it’s interesting, because everybody’s been worried about Chinese electric cars,” they told Autocar, “they haven’t realised that China has developed the engines and the hybrid drivetrains at lightning speed, and they’re now as good, if not better, than the Europeans.

“The Chinese brands are now doing plug-in hybrids – which they weren’t going to do. They were [originally] just going to do EVs, but they’ve now gone, ‘hey, we’ve got another option here’, and the PHEVs are coming in stunning numbers.”

Of the seven Chinese brands – including MG – selling EVs, PHEVs, self-charging hybrids and petrol cars at scale in the UK between 2024 and 2026, petrol was the dominant powertrain with 199,700 registrations (rounded to the nearest hundred) or 32.1% of the seven brands’ collective total. EVs were a close second at 194,000/31.2%, PHEVs third at 144,300/23.2% and self-charging hybrids totalled 83,700/13.5%. Powertrains in which internal combustion played at least some part collectively made up 427,700 or 68.7% of the seven Chinese brands’ total.

EVs accounted for 1.2 million/30.1% of non-diesel new car registrations in the wider UK market during the same period, so the seven Chinese brands’ equivalent figure was only 1.1% greater.

As an individual example, Omoda and Jaecoo’s new car powertrain mix between 2024 and 2026 was 3,600/3.2% self-charging hybrid, 17,900/15.7% EV, 43,100/37.9% petrol and 49,100/43.2% PHEV. The Jaecoo 7 – available with petrol and plug-in hybrid powertrains – was the UK’s third best-selling car year-to-date as of July, according to SMMT new car registration figures.

Philip Nothard, head of insight at Cox Automotive, said a change to the ZEV Mandate in favour of internal combustion could work in favour of Chinese brands by allowing them to pursue PHEV and hybrid sales.

He added: “The pending ZEV Mandate consultation could indirectly support Chinese new entrants even more, because any softening of it would allow them to go even harder and longer on plug-in hybrid and hybrid growth.

“The speed of model lifecycle that they operate with means they can be very reactive to any kind of deadline. Whether it’s 2030 or 2035, to them, that’s three, four or five cycles away before they think about it, and they can have a car on the road in 12 to 18 months. Whereas the established manufacturers are thinking, ‘To get where I need to be by 2030, I need to start building my production lines and supply chains today’.”

Autocar's fleet source said Chinese brands were not alone in their approach, and that they had worked with other manufacturers employing EVs to similar effect with fleet customers, to whom they are attractive due to low tax.

“Other manufacturers have also used EVs as a Trojan Horse," they added. "I’ve worked with some that had particular models that fleets really wanted, because they had a decent range and they were affordable. They didn’t let anybody have [the individual model] unless they put the whole range on their choice list. That got all their cars in front of fleets, not just individual models.”

The source added that fleets should be mindful of taking on PHEVs, because company car tax rates meant they would become more expensive for businesses and drivers over time. Benefit-in-kind is 4% for EVs and ranges from 4% to 16% for PHEVs according to their electric-only range in the current 2026-2027 tax year. EVs are due to gradually increase to 9% in 2029-2030, and all plug-in hybrids will be 19% that year.

“Whatever way you look at it, they’re going up in tax. When your tax can double, triple or quadruple, that’s something that I think could be another kind of Dieselgate – ‘I bought a plug-in hybrid and now my tax has gone through the roof’.”

The EU currently issues varying tariffs of up to 35.3% on Chinese EVs in addition to its standard 10% import duty and is reportedly considering a similar initiative for plug-in hybrids. Cox Automotive's Nothard said it would be difficult for the UK to instigate its own tariff due to the companies’ impact on the local economy.

He added: “If you look at the Nissan plant, it’s at 50% capacity, it’s got 6000 employees that are reliant on that plant, Nissan is talking about exiting the UK again and Chery has stepped in to save the jobs and the plant. I think it’ll be very difficult for the UK government to then sanction any kind of tariffs against the Chinese manufacturers, because they’ll just go ‘Okay we'll pull out of the R&D we’ve got here, and we’ll pull out of Nissan – how do you want to play it?’.”

Why car makers are putting 'fake' gearboxes in performance EVs

Thu, 3 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Gamification of driving experience can add engagement back into fast EVs – but where did it come from?

With the arrival of EV powertrains, we've seen some crossover from virtual gaming to reality, rather than the other way around.

It happened with the Ioniq 5 N's N e-Shift when Hyundai became the first to admit that for sports cars a howling high-performance combustion engine and mechanical gearbox were going to be a tough act to follow. Porsche designed its E-Shift system to spice up the Taycan, as BMW will with the M3 EV due in 2027.

Walk through the mists of time and the psychology of why these virtual stepped-shift systems are now a must-have becomes clear. Back in the day, there was a choice of manual gearboxes or unappealing torque-converter gearboxes known as slush 'boxes for the lack of positivity of their snail-pace shifts. Manuals were a talking point among drivers, whether the gate was precise or not, the engagement slick or clunky, the throw of the gearlever long or excitingly short. These details could make or break any chance of a perfect driving experience.

Then Ferrari introduced the semi-automatic gearbox in Formula 1 in the late 1980s and suddenly there was something else to hanker for in road cars. It appeared in 1997 with the F355 F1. Then Alfa Romeo launched its similar automated manual, the Selespeed. Before both of them, BMW introduced its SMG (Sequential Manual Gearbox) in 1996 on the 'E36' M3 and two more quicker-shifting versions followed.

They were essentially robotised, single-clutch, manual gearboxes that interrupted torque when shifting, with questionable degrees of satisfaction. Shift speed was limited by the need to retain synchromesh whereas a sequential racing gearbox could dispense with it to achieve millisecond-quick shifting with a 'dog' engagement gearbox at the expense of noise and an eye-wateringly high wear rate.

The prospect of matching that came with the dual-clutch gearbox. British firm Automotive Products conceived its Hot Shift gearbox concept in 1980 and Porsche's PDK appeared in motorsport in the mid-1980s. Dual-clutch gearboxes under various brand names-eg DSG and PDK-all do the same thing. Two clutches allow the next gear to be automatically pre-selected and a gearshift constitutes opening one clutch and closing the other without interrupting torque.

The holy grail of acceleration at last? Not quite. That came with the seamless stream of torque from an electric motor. Except we appear to have gone full circle because what once seemed so appealing may not be so involving in reality. Perhaps, after all, those brief interruptions of progress create a sense of anticipation and excitement a human brain just cannot live without.

Xpeng takes control of UK sales ahead of L03 crossover launch

Wed, 2 Sep 2026 13:15:54 +0100

Chinese EV maker takes retail operation away from International Motors and primes new models

Chinese EV maker Xpeng is priming its new L03 for the UK, as it takes its sales operations in-house.

Xpeng came to the UK last year with the G6, a Tesla Model Y-rivalling crossover, with Subaru and Isuzu importer International Motors handling the shipping and retail operation here.

But now, with 1800 G6s having been delivered to UK customers, Xpeng is moving to establish its own national sales company and "take ownership of its UK operations, while continuing to draw on International Motors' proven operational infrastructure and local market distribution expertise".

International Motors will continue to provide "operational services", but Xpeng will now take responsibility for the "strategic and commercial development of the brand in the market".

It's unclear whether Xpeng plans to grow its UK retail network, which currently comprises 48 dealers across England, Wales and Scotland.

The company said it will expand its line-up here with the Volkswagen ID Buzz-rivalling X9 MPV and new L03 coupé-crossover.

Marketed under the Mona brand in China (standing for 'Made of New AI'), the L03 comes with a choice of 56kWh and 69kWh batteries and claims a range of up to 388 miles on China's CLTC test cycle.

Like most Chinese EVs, it has a minimalist interior centred around a large central touchscreen – here measuring a substantial 15.6in – and majors on AI functionality, with Xpeng touting its advanced autonomous driving capability and voice assistant tech.

There is no word yet on a launch date or pricing, but an entry price below £40,000 would line the L03 up against rivals like the Skoda Enyaq and Ford Explorer.

How to buy a used electric car

Wed, 2 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0100

If you’re considering going electric, there’s a great choice of used options – but what should you look out for?

There’s an old motor trade saying that every used car started out as a new one. And with electric cars leaving forecourts in ever-larger numbers over the past few years, the supply of used examples is expanding quickly.

For buyers, it’s no longer a leap into the unknown. There’s an ever-increasing choice of long-range, fast-charging models for different needs and a growing network of specialist garages who can sell and work on them, and the surge in supply means there are some good deals available.

So, what do you need to know? Read on as we reveal all the tips to help bag a top used BEV.

What are the different types of electric car?

Plug-in cars come in a few different forms, so whether you’re all in on battery power or just looking to cut the cost and emissions out of your local journeys, there are several different ways to go electric. These are:

Battery-electric vehicles (or BEVs) are, as the name suggests, powered entirely by electricity. Advances in battery technology allied to the UK’s increasingly widespread public charging network are steadily eroding ‘range anxiety’, with some of the latest models offering in excess of 500 miles on a full charge with short mid-journey top-ups. Unless you’re shopping for a really early BEV, most offer a range of about 200-250 miles.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) combine a combustion engine with a couple of electric motors and a battery that can be charged from the mains. Early cars offered a range of 20-30 miles, which is ideal for emission-free local trips, but 40-50 is the norm for more recent models. Once that range is depleted, it works like a regular hybrid, using the electric motors to assist the engine and boost efficiency.

Range-Extenders (E-REVs, or REX) are somewhere between a BEV and PHEV. They have an electric powertrain that is solely responsible for sending power to the wheels, but they also feature a combustion engine that works a generator to top up the battery after the plug-in range is depleted. Like a PHEV, this means you can just fill up with fuel if you need to go further.

Which type of electric car is right for me?

With the EU and UK looking to phase out new petrol and diesel cars within a decade, there has been a huge push for better EV technology over the past few years, and that means there is plenty of choice – from city cars to SUVs – to meet your practical needs. The biggest deciding factor is access to charging.

If you’ve got a driveway, a garage or an allocated parking space, then a home charging point turns it into your own personal fuel station. Most drivers would only need to plug in every few days to have enough range for commuting and local trips, and home chargers also offer access to the cheapest electricity rates – just 2p per mile, compared with around 15p for a typical petrol or diesel family car.

Home chargers are one of the few remaining incentives if you’re buying a second-hand EV. The government offers up to £500 towards the total cost, including installation, but that's only for drivers who live in flats, rented accommodation and houses without off-street parking. Otherwise, they’re priced between £700 and £1000, but even so, a charger is well worth the investment.

Unless you’ve got a charger at work, the alternative is more complicated. Public charging costs are upwards of nine times pricier than those cheap-rate home tariffs, and you’ll need to find opportunities to top up during the week, such as plugging in at a supermarket while doing your shopping.

And yes, that also applies to PHEVs. If you’re relying on pricey public charging or never plugging in at all (which is an option), then you’ll be paying extra for technology that won’t deliver any useful reduction in running costs.

BEVs and PHEVs (including range-extenders) are both fine for longer-haul work, too, but they have slightly different pros and cons.

A BEV will go further on a full charge, so there’s more chance you’ll get to wherever you’re going using nothing but cheap home electricity, and you’ll get most of that range back in half an hour if you need to stop en route. Most can now go far enough, and charge quickly enough, that you can plug in while you stop instead of stopping to plug in.

PHEVs take longer to charge and don’t go as far on battery power, but they have the advantage of much shorter refuelling stops if you’re going any distance. Again, it’s pricier than using electricity from home, but running in hybrid mode is potentially cheaper per mile than using the fastest rapid chargers.

How much does a used EV cost?

The UK’s EV market has boomed over the past few years, largely off the back of cheap company car tax rates introduced in 2020. Company car drivers can save around 80% on their tax bills by going electric (slightly less if they opt for a PHEV), and it has led to a resurgence in demand.

Three quarters of company cars were BEVs or PHEVs in 2024/25, and businesses account for three out of every four plug-in registrations. Most are on three-year lease contracts, which means there’s a healthy supply entering the used market today.

Unfortunately, the incentives for second owners are much less generous. All EVs attract the same vehicle excise duty (VED, or ‘road tax’) rates as petrol, diesel and hybrid cars, and there’s an Expensive Car Supplement for the most expensive models. This is an additional £440 (plus inflation each year) added on top of the first five VED renewals for PHEVs worth more than £40,000 and BEVs over £50,000 (if they were registered after 1 April 2026).

That lack of support for the used market, coupled with aggressive discounts on new cars, has put pressure on second-hand prices. A used EV often costs no more than a petrol or diesel car, which is good news if you’re in the market for one.

Where can you buy a second-hand EV?

The most straightforward route is your local main dealer and the manufacturer’s approved used scheme. It’s the priciest option but offers the peace of mind of a factory-backed warranty, thorough checks by a brand-specialist workshop and more choice of financing options. That often includes a personal contract purchase (PCP), which enables you to access much cheaper monthlies than funding the entire car through a loan or hire purchase (HP).

There’s also growing demand for leasing second-hand EVs. The latest figures from industry body the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) show there are 21,309 used cars in personal contract hire (PCH) contracts. This offers fixed monthly rentals for (typically) three years, without taking on any of the re-sale risks at the end of the contract, and at a lower cost than leasing new. But, unlike PCPs, there’s no option to buy the car outright at the end of that period.

The alternative is buying through a specialist EV dealer, where you’ll get the reassurance of a business that knows the technology inside out, or from the same used-car showrooms and private sales you would visit if you were shopping for a petrol or diesel vehicle. With an influx of supply, EVs are increasingly becoming a regular part of the used car market, but it’s important to know what you’re looking out for if you’re stepping away from the specialists.

What should I look for when buying an electric car?

Like any second-hand vehicle, there’s always some degree of risk involved with buying used. However, an EV needn’t be as daunting as it sounds.

Despite the technology on board, an electric powertrain has only a handful of moving parts and doesn’t require anywhere near the level of servicing and maintenance of a combustion engine. With no annual oil changes, spark plugs, filters or belts, and no clutch, some BEVs only require a service every couple of years, although obviously a PHEV or range-extender still has those parts on board.

Like any other car, it’s important to check that any servicing and maintenance has been carried out in line with manufacturer requirements, especially if it’s still within its factory warranty. This also ensures that it’s had the latest software updates and can indicate where warranty work or recalls have been carried out.

All electric cars are heavier than their petrol or diesel counterparts, so it’s important to check the tyres and brakes for wear and listen for knocking suspension components on the test drive, just as you would any other model.

Check the boot for charging cables and make sure those are in good condition, because they can cost a couple of hundred quid to replace if they’re faulty. Most cars come with a ‘Type 2’ cable, compatible with home, workplace and public chargers, but a few also include a back-up that will plug into a regular three-pin socket. The latter is a nice-to-have, so don’t be put off if it’s not there.

Then there’s the battery. Batteries steadily lose capacity with use, but there are plenty of BEVs with more than 200,000 miles on the clock and a still-usable range. It’s why manufacturers have offered steadily more generous warranties on the most expensive component of the powertrain. Eight years and 100,000 miles is the norm, but that only covers excessive range loss.

Unfortunately, it’s still quite hard to find to access information about battery health. The latest round of European emissions regulations (known as Euro 7) includes a requirement for cars to make that data (as a percentage of the factory capacity) more readily available, but it’s still an exception in the used market. Some dealers, particularly if they’re specialists, will include their own battery health check for peace of mind, which is certainly desirable.

One last edge case to consider is battery leasing. Renault and Nissan offered options for early adopters to lease the battery separately from the rest of the car, but it was complicated and short-lived. Both have since let owners buy the battery outright, but it’s worth checking this before you buy or you’ll still be paying for the monthly rentals.

How reliable are electric cars?

Given their relative mechanical simplicity, you’d expect electric vehicles to be more reliable that their ICE counterparts – and, overall, you would be right. But that’s not to say these machines are infallible and, like all cars, you can expect the occasional fault.

According to the most recent EV reliability study by our sibling publication What Car?, the BMW i3 is the most dependable model, followed by its stablemate, the i4, and the second-generation Nissan LEAF in third place. All of them suffered issues, but they were typically resolved quickly at a main dealer.

Like all cars, EVs are covered by a manufacturer’s warranty from new, which, depending on the make and model, is typically three years. However, some firms favour more generous terms for their guarantees with, for example, Honda, Hyundai and Renault offering five years of cover, while Kia delivers seven. That means many of these will have a chunky balance of their original warranties available to used buyers.

And, crucially, most EVs include that even longer warranty for the battery, guaranteeing at least 70% of the factory capacity for up to eight years and 100,000 miles. Euro 7 is setting even stricter requirements of 80% after five years and 100,000km (62,000 miles), and 72% after eight years and 160,000km (99,000 miles). That’s not an indication of real-world losses – most EVs shouldn’t be anywhere near those limits.

For older vehicles, independent specialists such as Warrantywise and the RAC are now offering EV-specific extended cover packages, which are tailored specifically to electric vehicles and their high-voltage components. It’s an important step towards them feeling less like a step into the unknown.

Bristol is back – with new run of V10-powered Fighter

Wed, 2 Sep 2026 09:30:00 +0100

Sports car marks "first step" in return of individualistic brand known for "doing things differently"

Bristol Cars is putting the V10-engined Fighter back into production as the first step in a long-awaited comeback that is set to bring new models to the storied marque in the years to come.

With new owners at the helm, Bristol is ending 15 years of dormancy by resuming production of its final car 80 years on from the debut of its first, the 400.

The Fighter was launched in 2004 as a gullwing-doored luxury GT with an 8.0-litre V10 borrowed from the Dodge Viper and producing up to 600bhp. Production of the 210mph car continued in small numbers until 2011, when the company went into administration. Just 13 are thought to have been registered.

Now, in partnership with an unnamed UK manufacturer, Bristol Cars will build five more Fighters to original spec, using uncompleted chassis left over from the initial build run.

The five cars are not traditional continuations but rather will be sold via Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) and will wear a period-correct 2008 numberplate, reflecting the year in which they were technically 'built'. Left- and right-hand-drive models will be available.

The first car of Bristol's new era makes its debut at Salon Privé this week. That example will be black with a tan interior, but the four unbuilt cars can be finished according to the owners' specifications. No pricing has been given, but each will no doubt cost far more than the original car's £235,000 list price.

The company said: "Confirming these last five Fighter chassis and build slots exist, with one already completed, represents more than the revival of a model. It completes a programme left unfinished when manufacturing ended, reconnects Bristol Cars with a tangible part of its history and establishes the first chapter in the marque's return."

It adds that the completion of the Fighter production run will provide "a natural bridge between what Bristol was and what it intends to become".

Precise details of the company's plans after the Fighters have been finished remain unclear, but it emphasises that this is "the first step in Bristol's return, not the full extent of it".

Autocar understands further cars are possible, possibly including all-new additions rather than resurrections of past models. The firm promises it will stay true to the "individuality, engineering integrity and craftsmanship that have always defined the company".

Bristol's revival is being steered by new owner and director Paul King, working alongside chairman Richard Hackett. Hackett worked with former Bristol boss Tony Crook in the company's original guise and is said to be regarded as "a leading authority on the company's history, cars and loyal customer base". He also co-ran one of the world's leading Bristol dealers for the past decade.

Hackett described Bristol as a firm known for "doing things differently" and emphasised it "was never a mass-market manufacturer".

He said: "It built exceptional cars in small numbers for people who appreciated their individuality, engineering and character. To return as chairman, in Bristol's 80th anniversary year, is a tremendous privilege. This is an opportunity to respect everything that made Bristol special while giving the marque a future.

Mitsubishi Pajero returns as diesel-powered Land Cruiser rival

Wed, 2 Sep 2026 09:08:22 +0100

New flagship has body-on-frame chassis, chunky looks and seven seats

The Mitsubishi Pajero has returned as a hardcore 4x4 to rival the Toyota Land Cruiser.

Previously known as the Shogun in the UK, the new model remains faithful to its predecessors in prioritising all-terrain capability. For example, it retains a body-on-frame construction, which is typically better at dealing with the rough demands of off-roading. Mitsubishi said it prioritised “off-road comfort” and capabilities, balancing this with refinement while on Tarmac.

Its boxy design recalls the short-wheelbase Pajeros that conquered the Paris-Dakar Rally through the 1980s, ’90s and ’00s, but it forgoes the boot-mounted spare tyre that had previously been a signature feature of the model. Its high ride height and chunky tyres give 230mm of ground clearance, and its maximum approach and departure angles are 30.4deg and 25.8deg respectively.

Power comes from a new development of the 2.4-litre diesel engine used in the Mitsubishi L200 pick-up, putting out 201bhp and 354lb ft. This is delivered to all four wheels through a new eight-speed automatic gearbox. It also has Mitsubishi’s Active Yaw Control system – as first introduced on the Lancer Evolution V – which varies the distribution of torque between the left- and right-hand wheels to improve agility or stability as required.

Inside, the new Pajero is significantly more richly appointed than its predecessors, reflecting its repositioning as Mitsubishi’s flagship. Most surfaces are lined with leather, and it can seat up to seven people across its three rows. It also gets three-zone climate control and ventilated seats, and its Yamaha sound system is capable of cancelling out road noise transmitted to the cabin.

The Pajero will be launched first in Thailand, where it is built, and it is due in Australia and Japan by March 2027.

It remains to be seen whether it will be imported into the UK, but being launched in right-hand-drive form suggests that it is possible. It could serve as a halo model for Mitsubishi, attracting attention to the brand following its relaunch here earlier this year.

A van version – with its back seats removed – could also find a market with buyers such as farmers, who accounted for a great many sales of previous Shoguns. Toyota positions the current Land Cruiser similarly, with the passenger version positioned further upmarket than past generations and sold in small numbers, and the Commercial model targeted at industry.

Mitsubishi’s UK importer, International Motors, could be encouraged by the strong demand for second-hand Shoguns: decade-old examples regularly change hands for more than £20,000.

New Polestar 4 SUV is more practical and £2k cheaper than coupe

Wed, 2 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0100

Oddball EV gains a rear window and more range, while undercutting key rivals on price

Polestar is looking to build on the success of its best-selling model by adding more space and cutting its price.

The new SUV version of the Polestar 4 gains a bigger boot, updated interior tech and a reinstated rear window in a bid to take on rivals such as the BMW iX3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC Electric – and a starting price of £54,750 makes it £2000 cheaper than its sleeker sibling.

The line-up will mirror the coupé with both Rear Motor and Dual Motor variants, including a 536bhp Performance version of the latter. Thanks to new tyres and tweaked powertrain calibration, the 100kWh battery can eke out six miles of extra range in the SUV, enabling a claimed 391 miles for the Rear Motor version and 373 miles for the Dual Motor. That's broadly competitive in its segment but a long way behind class leaders such as the 500-mile iX3 and 503-mile Volvo EX60. Rapid charging also maxes out at 200kW, which is half the iX3's maximum.

Losing the coupe's distinctive sleek roofline and windowless rear end makes the SUV more conventional-looking, but the digital rear-view camera remains an option to improve visibility if rear passengers are blocking the view. The accompanying camera has been relocated to under the rear spoiler, meaning the rear wiper (also under the spoiler) can clean both the window and lens. On the nose there's new ADAS hardware behind the front bumper, which allows for a slightly cleaner design.

Big gains come in the practicality department, with the 4 SUV's boxier tail allowing for a boot space of 530 litres, which is not only a 30-litre boost versus the coupé but also enough to edge the Polestar ahead of its BMW rival. The electric Mercedes GLC remains the more spacious car overall, however. With the rear seats of each car folded down, the 4 SUV's total available load space of 1665 litres actually falls behind its rivals again - even accounting for the 15-litre frunk.

The technology upgrades provided with the 4 SUV don't aside from a more customisable homepage alter its digital set-up, which continues to revolve around a 15.4in touchscreen that does away with most physical controls in the cockpit. Instead, the changes relate to software and specifically Google Gemini AI, which is said to allow for more natural verbal requests to control car features, including finding navigation directions with specific charging location preferences. This tech will in due course be rolled out to new and existing 4 coupés via over-the-air updates.

The 4 SUV also receives tweaked spring and damper rates to help it challenge the Porsche Macan Electric with sharper handling, while different designs for both the 21in and 22in wheels add to the SUV's sporting appearance.

A key reason why Polestar expects 70% of British buyers to go for the SUV over the coupé, other than the capacity boost, is price. While the entry price is £2000 cheaper than that of its swoopier-roofed sibling, going for the Dual Motor car saves £3000 compared with the equivalent coupé. Orders are being taken now, with first deliveries due before the end of the year.

Why the UK must rethink its EV rules (and learn from China's hybrids)

Wed, 2 Sep 2026 05:00:00 +0100

Big-battery range-extenders give customers the flexibility they need to feel confident in making the switch

Earlier this year, Stellantis-backed Leapmotor launched in China a plug-in hybrid model with what it said is the world’s largest battery yet to be fitted to a car also powered by a combustion engine.

The D19 large SUV comes with a CATL-supplied 80.3kWh battery, larger than those fitted to most pure-electric cars. On the rare occasions you exceed the claimed 311-mile electric range, a 1.5-litre petrol engine joins forces.

The UK should take note. The EU has already opened the door to these so-called range-extender EVs with its proposal to relax its 2035 CO₂ emissions reduction targets to 90% rather than 100%.

Car makers could of course blow the whole lot on a handful of V8s – and some no doubt will. But others will utilise the new wiggle room to entice range-nervous buyers with what are essentially electric models that also include a small petrol engine.

The UK should think about doing something similar as it reappraises the ZEV mandate.

The trend for range-extender EVs sprung up in China and largely remains there. Models like the Lotus Eletre X and related Zeekr 9X, with their 70kWh batteries, are playing to the needs of largely wealthy city-bound customers who dream of longer-range adventures.

“PHEVs used to be the worst of both worlds,” one customer of the new Geely Galaxy M9 large SUV, with its 41.5kWh battery, told Autocar. “Now it’s the best.”

Broad legislative approval for range-extender EVs would be welcomed by global premium brands such as JLR. Right now these companies’ planners are frantically looking for that one drivetrain that might work globally in a fractured world. The big question is what happens in the US after Donald Trump’s final presidential term finishes at the end of January 2029. That might seem like a depressingly long way off for anyone looking for global stability, but it’s not if you’re planning a new model now.

A potential future Democrat administration would be expected to restart the country’s climate commitments, which would require electrified solutions again. That could explain why JLR has reportedly put the Defender’s planned replacement on ice.

For the UK and EU to signal tacit approval of range-extender EVs would bring some relief to planners trying to appeal to European, Chinese and potentially American buyers.

There are still issues. Currently, Chinese range-extender EVs with the biggest batteries are massive – the size of a Range Rover. Batteries are also improving to the point that an extra powerplant is becoming redundant. But as a global vehicle, they offer the best hope.

Can Range Rover succeed where other luxury EVs are failing?

Wed, 2 Sep 2026 00:01:00 +0100

The market for luxury EVs cooled off right as the electric Rangie came to fruition, but it can still win

What of the commercial prospects for Range Rover's long-awaited debut EV?

Around a year ago, JLR loftily claimed to have taken 60,000 'expressions of interest' for the model, which, while not as indicative of demand as actual customer deposits, would seem to suggest quite a lengthy queue was forming - equivalent to around three years of production for the regular combustion-engined car.

However, the company hasn't been quite so vocal of late about the length of its waiting list, and during the Range Rover Electric's long gestation period the global market for luxury EVs in this vein has grown, peaked and then quickly collapsed - to the point where Lamborghini and Aston have delayed their debut EVs, Lotus is fitting the similarly conceived Eletre with a petrol engine and Porsche is now working on another generation of petrol-powered Cayenne.

Still, there is cause for optimism: if the Range Rover Electric does indeed look, drive, taste and smell like the fuel-burning version, it will be easy to convince even the most ardent ICE apologist of the lack of compromise that comes with making the switch - and easier still to make a virtue of its improved refinement and off-road controllability.

The success of the Spectre - Rolls-Royce's second-best-selling car - is proof certain types of cars actually suit battery power better than ICE, and surely the Range Rover sits in that camp: its suite of available engines (highly competent though they are) is hardly central to its appeal as a quiet and composed penthouse on wheels.

But there's no denying the stigma attached to EVs at this price point, irrespective of their objective attributes, and the knock-on impact it has on brand cachet and residual values. Case in point: the Audi E-tron GT starts at around £90,000 today or you can buy a visually identical 2022 car for a third of that.

Happily for JLR, the first Range Rover EV uses a platform that has done much to pay its way already, having underpinned many thousands of highly profitable Range Rover models over the past five years, and so the weight of financial expectation isn't perhaps as heavy as it might be for an entirely bespoke product.

Also, like Bentley, Range Rover isn't replacing an ICE car with an EV successor; rather, it's adding a new powertrain option into the mix, which means it doesn't actually need to sell like hot cakes (initially, at least; JLR must still fully electrify its line-up in Europe over the next decade).

Either way, the odds are in its favour from the off: in a segment that remains fairly nascent (largely by dint of other marques' reticence), the Range Rover Electric has the specs, prestige and brand power to make a sizeable splash.

JLR needs to capitalise on its first-mover position and keep the car competitive to ensure continued commercial success like it could and should have done with the Jaguar I-Pace.

Range Rover goes electric: £154k, 372 miles of range and 2885kg

Wed, 2 Sep 2026 00:01:00 +0100

Familiar styling hides all-new powertrain, with dual-motor EV dubbed ‘wholly credible’ alternative to ICE car

JLR has launched the first electric Range Rover, with the promise that the brand's crucial debut EV will "look, feel and drive like a Range Rover".

The new Range Rover Electric - due next year, priced from £154,070 - is a dual-motor EV based on the current Range Rover's mixed-metal Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA-Flex), with a 120kWh battery pack, outputs of 542bhp and 627lb ft and a WLTP range of 372 miles (or 330 miles in the real world, JLR said).

Visually, the Range Rover Electric is so close to the existing ICE and plug-in hybrid models that "we haven't needed to camouflage any of our prototypes", according to Rachel Hogg, Range Rover's global production manager.

The car has been in development for four years and has been, Hogg said, "quite a significant engineering challenge", because the company "had to make a wholly credible Range Rover".

JLR has filed more than 300 patents, and a change of front motor to a more durable type cost months of development time even though Range Rover MD Martin Limpert admitted that "most customers won't really go off road".

The MLA-Flex architecture was designed from the outset with a full battery-electric variant in mind. It features 120kWh of double-stacked cells in a pack beneath the cabin floor, with identical permanent magnet motors front and rear. Each produces 322bhp, but they never make full power at the same time.

The rear electric drive unit (EDU) sits where the limited slip differential would be on the ICE model, so there is no loss of boot space.

Despite there being no drivetrain through the centre of the car, the rest of the inside remains basically unchanged.

Simon Fairbrother, the Range Rover Electric's chief programme manager, said there has been "no need to provide a flat floor because everyone loves the Range Rover interior anyway".

The Range Rover Electric weighs 75kg more than the PHEV, so it will come in at around 2885kg. It has an 88mm-lower centre of gravity than the V8 model, however, and gains twin-valve dampers from the Range Rover Sport SV while retaining two-chamber air springs with adjustable ride height, and the same 7.3deg of rear-steer, to help counter its girth and mass.

The on-road driving experience is meant to be as close as possible to that of the ICE car. The Range Rover Electric sits a little lower to the ground than its sibling, with a 15mm-lower ride height and 29mm-lower ground clearance, but the ride height remains adjustable and the 900mm wading depth is ostensibly unchanged from the ICE car.

The battery pack and drive elements are fully sealed at low level, but there are some high-mounted breathers that allow cooling while fording. But as with the ICE car, it's the vehicle's initial propensity to float and lose traction that ultimately limits its wading depth, rather than water ingress.

Extra weight and a small reduction in breakover angle aside, electric power brings some advantages off road. There is never a need to stop and engage low- or high-ratio gearsets and throttle response is, according to senior technical specialist Jason Walters, "a lot more forgiving". He added that the quick response and controllability of an electric motor makes an EV "phenomenal" on sand.

Range Rover investigated a four-motor set-up like that of the electric Mercedes-Benz G-Class but said it brings weight penalties and the disadvantage that a single wheel can only receive as much power as one motor. Even though the Range Rover Electric's differentials are open, once a spinning wheel is stopped via braking, a wheel with grip can receive an entire axle's power output.

Development of the electric motors was one of the more problematic areas. Initially JLR wanted to use an induction motor on the front axle, which would "do what we want, but it wasn't consistent", according to Fairbrother. In extreme off-road conditions it would overheat and fail to produce its full power.

"There was nothing out there off the shelf," Fairbrother said, "so we've done it all in-house."

The motors will be made at JLR's Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton, a former engine manufacturing plant in which it is investing more than £350 million to enable it to assemble motors and battery packs.

Range Rover claims the Electric is 7dBA quieter than a Range Rover V8 under full acceleration or 2.5dBA quieter while accelerating at 0.1g. During a constant-speed cruise, there's little in it because the majority of noise is tyre and wind roar anyway.

Changes inside are mostly limited to the operations of the screens.

There are minor exterior changes, to the grille and wheel design, which gives a drag coefficient improvement of 0.01 - said to add five miles to the car's urban range or 10 miles on a motorway.

Range Rover owners don't go off road often, but Rob Mckay, JLR's head of public charging services, said: "The majority will tow during their time with the vehicle."

The Range Rover Electric's towing limit is 2500kg, lower than the 3500kg of the ICE car or 3000kg of the PHEV, but McKay said more than 360 million Range Rover customer journeys had been analysed (via anonymised data) and it was found that the electric car would be suitable for 97% of them.

A 3.6kWh vehicle-to-load adapter is available as an option, an additional low-speed AC charging port is optional on the opposite side to the high-speed (up to 350kW) DC outlet and vehicle-to-grid compatibility will be offered at some point in the future.

How does it drive?

Our introduction to the full technical details of the new Range Rover Electric were accompanied by a brief drive around JLR's Gaydon test track, based on an old RAF airbase and featuring myriad on-road and off-road courses.

The first thing of note is how conventional the car feels, with very little difference inside over the combustion-engined car, including the same gearlever and drive mode selector on the transmission tunnel (now housing battery-topping electrical gubbins).

Instead, the differences are largely relegated to the car's screens.

There's an AI-enabled range predictor, which JLR claims is far more accurate than most other systems. All Range Rover Electrics will have a 'digital twin', by which the battery pack's health status and the car's vital stats will be monitored to help predict and manage any problems.

We spent a few minutes on back road-aping tracks, along which the electric Range Rover feels much like its combustion counterparts, only a bit smoother on the drivetrain front. A regular Range Rover V8 masks its gearshifts amazingly well and brings itself to and moves off from a standstill very smoothly, but the electric version is as you would expect: every bit its equal and then some. There are adjustable levels of lift-off regeneration, from almost a freewheel (depending on driving style, best in most driving circumstances for efficiency), through to single-pedal 0.2g braking that will go all the way to a standstill; other modes can creep from standstill like a conventional automatic.

It's hard to gauge the electric car's true capability in dry conditions on a company's own test track when there isn't a comparative ICE car (or competitor vehicle) to run alongside it, but the things that make a regular Range Rover such an attractive companion in rough conditions - its isolated ride, easy-going but accurate steering and cameras that point everywhere, plus big mirrors, straight sides and an elevated driving position - are present and correct.

One spot where the Electric really showed its potential was a rock crawl up the kind of slope you couldn't easily walk. In a combustion car there's a response time from the engine to factor in, then take-up of slack from the torque converter and throughout the drivetrain; in the electric car the response is far quicker and can be metered much more easily.

If there is a downside it's that the rear diff must always be open, so you're relying on a spinning wheel being braked before power is applied to one with grip, but this happens pretty quickly - albeit not as solidly as if a locking rear differential were locked into position, delivering torque evenly across the axle.

The wading depth is officially 900mm, but the Range Rover knows when it's driving through water and how deep it is, because sensors measure the load on the suspension and it is aware how buoyant the body is. The suspension lengthens to suit, lifting the body out of the water as much as possible to keep more weight on the tyres and improve traction. In extremes, it will find an additional 60mm of suspension travel, making the actual, if not officially recommended, wade depth 960mm - before your Range Rover begins to float downriver. Until after a few minutes it doesn't, of course.

The success of Hot Wheels is proof youngsters still love cars

Tue, 1 Sep 2026 16:06:19 +0100

Have youngsters fallen out of love with cars? The popularity of 1:64 models would suggest not

Are young people falling out of love with cars? It’s a question I’ve heard a lot in recent years, prompted in part by the falling proportion of youngsters who hold driving licences.

Common causes cited include the rising cost of buying and running cars; the lack of affordable used options; the increasing prevalence of ride-hailing apps, e-bikes and e-scooters; kids being too busy on their phones to want to maintain a car; and the feeling that, frankly, quite a lot of modern cars are pretty boring.

I’m not sure all those arguments are quite the factors some suggest, but let’s be honest: while that new Chinese SUV might be really practical and surprisingly affordable, 10-year-old you wouldn’t be sticking a poster of it on your bedroom wall. It’s not a leap from there to think that cars will continue to get less interesting, particularly as they continue to transition from analogue to digital by design.

Yet I’ve just returned from a car launch that has made me truly optimistic for the future and reinforced the fact that people of all ages still love cars and still care about cars – and, crucially, still think cars are fun. The unusual element is that the launch I was attending was for a line of toy cars.

Hot Wheels, to be precise. The brand was launching a new campaign called Challenge Accepted, which continues a hugely successful push towards the collectibles market for older buyers. As part of that, it has named a series of celebrity legends – footballer Robert Lewandowski, Colombian music star Maluma and influencer Supercar Blondie – and given each their own limited-run customised model.

For the record, I couldn’t name you a single Maluma song, but his customised Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60 was my clear favourite.

The cars were revealed at a swish event in Venice Beach, California, and while the models were 1:64 scale, the event was as big and outlandish as any other car launch I’ve been to. There was a glamorous venue outside a nightclub, a handful of celebrities, loud music, some life-size Hot Wheels recreations, plenty of outlandishly dressed influencers and at least one slightly jetlagged British car journalist trying to work out what on earth he was doing there or what ‘Fast Lane Fashion’ actually meant as a dress code.

But the reason I was there was to understand just what big business Hot Wheels have become. In terms of unit sales, it's the world’s biggest toy: globally, around 22 cars are sold every second. It's the most profitable of Mattel’s stable of brands, ahead of Barbie (and fellow car line Matchbox). And its sales are continuing to grow each year.

That growth is driven by two strands, including the aforementioned adult market for collectibles. Hot Wheels has expanded its range of higher-end lines, up to and including a members-only Red Line Club that gives access to limited editions. Those models are higher-margin premium lines, but the core of Hot Wheels sales continue to come from its ‘mainline’ models – the ones you will find in many shops that cost around £2 a piece, which remain hugely popular with kids.

As well as the event launch, I visited the Hot Wheels design studio. You can read and hear more from that in Autocar in the coming weeks. But perhaps the most gratifying takeaway from that visit is that every single member of the Hot Wheels team I met was a massive car fan. They love cars, and when they’re not involved in creating model cars, they’re admiring, driving, racing, tuning or modifying real cars.

For example, British design chief Craig Callum has two hot rod racers and still owns his first car, an original Mini, which he now uses as a daily driver. Yes, in Los Angeles.

That passion is put into the models they create. But while you can absolutely see it in the incredible detail put into those higher-end lines, just as much care goes into the mainstream ones. Possibly more: a Hot Wheels toy can’t go into production until it can successfully complete a loop-the-loop on a test track. To the design team, it’s as important that a Hot Wheels car performs right than it looks right.

It’s also interesting to know which models sell. The team would only mention general trends, but it’s clear that SUVs and EVs have yet to prove that appealing to Hot Wheels buyers. Currently, models of small, affordable, analogue and fun cars – in particular JDM machinery – are a major draw.

Now, there’s no real science here. You can argue the expanding success of Hot Wheels doesn’t have any real relevance for the car world, that you can’t draw a line from the popularity of toy cars to a sustained passion for cars. But it strikes me as encouraging, in several ways.

First, that in this always online generation, vast numbers of children are still embracing analogue toys that, at base level, haven’t changed that much for decades. And second, that the younger generation still see cars are fun and desirable. And as they grow up with Hot Wheels, they will learn about the sort of desirable, fun cars that we all love.

Perhaps there are lessons for the car industry. Here’s a toy firm making huge amounts of money by selling small, cheap cars at a relatively low mark-up to millions of passionate buyers.

The question really is: how do we convert that passion for toy cars into buyers of real ones?

New battery boosts Renault Scenic range to 399 miles

Tue, 1 Sep 2026 15:02:48 +0100

New Long Range battery has an extra 2kWh of capacity and can be charged more quickly

The Renault Scenic has been updated with new batteries, significantly boosting the range of the electric SUV.

The Long Range variant (that currently sold in the UK) is now capable of up to 399 miles between charges, an increase of 20 miles, thanks to an extra 2kWh of capacity.

Its new battery doesn't have a higher peak charging rate than before, at 150kW, but can sustain this input for a longer period. As such, a 10-80% refill takes 10 fewer minutes than before, at 28 minutes.

The Long Range variant will be followed by a revised Comfort Range derivative that makes the switch from the nickel-managanese-cobalt (NMC) to lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) chemistry.

Compared with NMC, LFP is cheaper to produce, less volatile if damaged and more resistant to degradation from regular rapid charging, but it's also less energy-dense.

The new LFP battery packs an extra 7kWh of capacity compared to that used in the previous Comfort Range car, boosting its range by 30 miles, to 290 miles. It can also be charged at 165kW, giving a 10-80% time of 24 minutes.

Both batteries will be offered with the 215bhp front-mounted electric motor that currently powers the Scenic.

In addition to the new batteries, there are two fresh exterior paint colours – a blue and a grey – plus new wheel designs and different upholstery for the interior, depending on the chosen trim level.

A driver monitoring system is now fitted as standard, and this can now be used to detect different drivers and automatically select their preferred settings for the car’s driving position, infotainment system and mood lighting.

Renault has yet to confirm when the updated Scenic will arrive in the UK, but a spokesperson told Autocar that it was “under review”.

It also remains to be seen whether Renault will reintroduce the Comfort Range battery as an option here or stick simply with the Long Range.

Kia PV7 electric van to be revealed on 14 September

Tue, 1 Sep 2026 12:47:37 +0100

New rival for LWB versions of Ford Transit Custom and Mercedes Vito is larger sibling to popular PV5

Kia is going after the long-wheelbase versions of the Ford Transit Custom and Mercedes-Benz Vito with the upcoming PV7, its second electric van.

Due to be revealed at the IAA Transportation show in Hanover, Germany, on 14 September, the PV7 will be a larger sibling to the existing PV5.

Teaser images released by Kia showcase a similar look to the PV5, with a snub-nosed front end and tall, bar-like rear lights.

At 5.2m long, it's significantly larger than the 4.6m PV5, straddling the gap between long-wheelbase medium vans and full-sized options such as the Mercedes Sprinter and Vauxhall Movano.

Technical details remain under wraps, but the PV7 is underpinned by the same E-GMP.S architecture as the PV5, which is derived from that used for Kia’s electric cars.

Given the PV7’s larger size, it's expected to offer a larger battery than the PV5’s 67kWh (usable capacity) pack but a similar range of around 250 miles. It's likely to use the same front-mounted 161bhp motor, however.

The PV7 will prove crucial as Kia looks to expand its van business. The PV5 has already proven a success: according to industry body the ACEA, 13,116 examples were sold in Europe during the first half of 2026, making it the market’s favourite small electric van.

Kia aims to sell 54,000 PV5s globally this year and has set a target of 232,000 van sales before the end of the decade.