Innholdsfortegnelse for November 29, 2023 i Autocar

An exclusive electric off-roader called Callum Skye, branded “the world’s most beautiful high-performance multiterrain vehicle” by its creators, is being launched by the Warwick-based design group formed and fronted by former Jaguar design boss Ian Callum. The Skye, the first prototype of which is expected to be running in the spring, is a compact, twin-motor, allwheel-drive, two-door creation. It is the Callum company’s first own-brand vehicle, designed and engineered entirely in-house. It has a target weight of just 1150kg, 50:50 weight distribution and a road footprint similar to that of a Renault Clio, with an overall length of just over 4.0 metres and a width of 1.9 metres. The Skye’s bold shape, which the company says is driven by its capabilities, is based on a strong “accent loop” surrounding the…

The new, third-generation Porsche Panamera is the company’s most luxurious, tech-heavy and expensive saloon yet. Prices will start at £79,500 for V6-engined models and rise to £141,400 for the topend V8 plug-in hybrid, with the line-up going on sale in the UK early in the new year. The new Panamera’s eight-cylinder engine is a heavily updated version of the V8 already in use in current Panameras, with only the cylinder block remaining the same, according to Porsche. Speaking during an event at Porsche’s factory in Leipzig, where the new Panamera will be built, Panamera project leader Thomas Friemuth said it was important to “celebrate the emotions of a V8”. The top-spec Turbo E-Hybrid model (V8 engines are only available as part of a plug-in hybrid system) produces peaks of 671bhp…

CHANCELLOR JEREMY HUNT has pledged £2 billion of industry support for zero-emission investment in the automotive sector over a five-year period. Announced in the Autumn Statement, the investment will be part of a wider £4.5bn support package in ‘strategic high-growth’ manufacturing sectors from now until 2030. Hunt said the £2bn investment “has been warmly welcomed by Nissan and Toyota”. While Nissan has now committed to ramping up EV production in the UK, Toyota’s factory at Burnaston, Derbyshire, is currently home to the hybrid Corolla. Senior Toyota executives have been discussing the longer-term future of the site. Earlier this year, Toyota Europe chief Matt Harrison cited a lack of battery plant investment in the UK as the biggest challenge being weighed up as the firm evaluated future EV production at the…

LUCID CEO PETER Rawlinson has strongly refuted reports that his firm is losing half a million dollars on every car it makes, explaining to Autocar that substantial expenses are an inherent part of setting up a new car company. The widespread reports that Lucid is losing more than $500,000 (£398k) on every car it makes are based on the fact that it posted a $764 million (£609m) loss for the financial quarter running April-June 2023 and sold 1404 cars in the same period. The firm is 61% owned by the vast Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. However, concluding that Lucid is losing $500,000 on each car it builds is “preposterously misleading”, said Rawlinson, because it doesn’t take into account the cost of launching a new brand, building a factory…

Hyundai executives can get defensive about criticism of the number of drive That’s one of my favourite hot hatchbacks, but there’s no denying that it has a lot of adjustable things. On-board systems allow you to choose between various suspension stiffnesses, to change the steering weight, to tune the engine response and much more besides. Apparently there are nearly 2000 combinations. Some say that’s too many – probably me included. But Hyundai’s driving attributes chief, Tyrone Johnson, says that if you don’t like having so many, don’t use them. There are a number of presets, including what Hyundai thinks is an optimal N mode, so just pick that. That also seems like an entirely reasonable position. But until now, I didn’t absolutely know where I stood on it. I’ve sat…

Never has a Stella been so significant. No, not a pint of Belgium’s finest enjoyed at 6am in Luton airport to kick-start the holiday of a lifetime but rather Stellantis’s new STLA (pronounced ‘Stella’ – geddit?) architecture. It’s going to underpin two million cars per year from the many and diverse brands within the Stellantis stable, and the first of them is the third-generation Peugeot 3008. Given that the current 3008 has been a phenomenal success for Peugeot since its 2017 launch, selling 1.3 million times in 130 countries, the pressure is on for the new one to not just keep that run of form going but also to ensure sound fundamentals for so many other models to come. The STLA Medium architecture (there are also Small, Large and Frame…

What’s that? You thought the MPV was dead? Yeah, us too. But it seems there’s hope for those who’ve been yearning for a modern family-mover that isn’t a high-riding SUV, because Renault is breathing life back into the class with an all-new, all-electric Scenic. Well, sort of, anyway. The fifthgeneration Scenic hasn’t entirely avoided SUV-itis and is (predictably) billed as a crossover, even though Renault is also very quick to point to roominess and functionality as its chief selling points. It’s a “new form of family vehicle”, it said when unveiling the 4.5-metrelong five-seater in September, that offers “family solutions” inside and SUV desirability outside. That’s all well and good, but a walk around the outside leaves questions as to whether the swoopy window line and fairly narrow rear screen…

7.15AM: SOUTHWARK, LONDON Battersea may have the ritzier penthouse apartments but, a few miles across south London, it is another of London’s reformed, former coal-fuelled power stations that we have chosen as the departure point of what should be a very special journey. We will be tackling it in the grandest of modern, electric grand touring coupés. Visible through the windscreen of the new Rolls-Royce Spectre and the dankness of a November metropolitan morning, what was once Bankside Power Station – now, of course, the Tate Modern art gallery – can still just about hold its own among the neighbouring high-rises of the city’s ever-climbing skyline. Some 40 years older than its more fashionable equivalent in SW11, this is a monument to a time, in the late 19th century, when…

MILEAGE 2951 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To find out if Honda’s new SUV can take on the Nissan Qashqai while maintaining the charms of the Civic it’s based on Let’s talk driver engagement – or, more specifically, how your car engages with you when you press the accelerator. It’s that moment when the car responds – whether instantly or after a tick while a turbocharger spins up – and you’re rewarded with a whack of accelerative urge and (hopefully) a sublime soundtrack. It’s a genuine pleasure, and not just because of any performance. It’s also glorious confirmation of a direct connection between your inputs and your car’s output. I mention this because the Honda ZR-V has none of it. Now, this is a practical SUV we’re talking about, so driver…

148-PAGE DOUBLE ISSUE It’s our famous Christmas special! It’s never too early to enjoy the festive spirit, so break out the mince pies and sit down with our annual feast of motoring fun FEATURE Carry on glamping Who needs a camper van when you have a Porsche 911 Dakar? ROAD TEST Pelican of London We splice the main brace and set sail aboard a tall ship EVERY WEEK OUR CARS Autocar Fleet Awards The best cars we’ve run this year BEST OF 2023 Motorsport season review Highlights of F1, BTCC, WRC and more SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p18…

A road test in any other magazine might well be a short, subjective summary of a new car produced under almost any circumstances, but the Autocar road test is different. Specific, rigorous and detailed, it’s the closest examination we can give of any new model. It appears over at least eight pages and is close to 50 man-hours in the making every week. Most of what the road test process entails is designed to be strictly repeatable and fair. We benchmark standing-start and in-gear acceleration at a purpose-built test facility every week. We carry out both subjective and objective handling tests on both road and track, on the latter up to and beyond the limit of grip, so as to fully assess stability, drivability and limit handling appeal. And while…

Ferrari is in the final stages of developing its long-awaited successor to the 812 Superfast, due in 2024 and set to be powered by an 800bhp-plus V12. Spotted on numerous occasions testing in Italy – initially dressed as a Roma but now wearing productionspec bodywork – Ferrari’s new grand tourer notably features a significantly extended bonnet, strongly hinting at the presence of the firm’s largest engine. The absence of high-voltage warning stickers or a visible charging port also suggests it will continue to be unassisted by electrification – as it is in the outgoing 812. The Italian firm has long been vocal about keeping its 12-cylinder engine alive for its flagship cars, deploying it most recently in the Daytona SP3 supercar and Purosangue SUV, even as it ramps up its…

THE GOVERNMENT HAS pledged to spend £8.3 billion to repair Britain’s potholecratered roads using money diverted from the scaledback HS2 rail project. According to Westminster, the reallocated funds are enough to resurface more than 5000 miles of road and will be distributed to councils across the country for projects over the next 11 years. It is the biggest road-specific fund yet to be announced in the UK. Transport secretary Mark Harper has confirmed that each local authority will now receive £150 million, followed by a further £150m for 2024/2025. The rest of the funding will be allocated through to 2034. “For too long politicians have shied away from taking the right long-term decisions to make life easier for families – tackling the scourge of potholes being a prime example,” explained…

BMW IS PREPARING for a ground-up reinvention of its line-up from 2025, when it will launch a new family of electric cars under the Neue Klasse banner, and our photographers have now seen one in public for the first time. This heavily camouflaged SUV prototype will evolve into a boldly styled replacement for today’s BMW iX3, with a design influenced by the Vision Neue Klasse concept, a total interior rethink and a new platform touting significant improvements in performance, range and efficiency. HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT BMW’S NEUE SUV • The new SUV will have a and unbroken surfaces. Expect some retro nods, too, and for the expansive grille panel to be a key talking point at the car’s unveiling. • It will be pared back inside, with a…

POLESTAR HAS TEAMED up with energy suppliers and others for a large-scale vehicle-to-grid (V2G) project in its Swedish home city of Gothenburg, using its new electric SUV, the 3. It is also working with the California Energy Commission and partners to investigate developing V2G systems in California. V2G systems rely on bidirectional charging, which means EVs can not only take energy from the local grid but give it back as well. If it were implemented on a large enough scale, the vast energy storage capacity of thousands of EVs could play a major part in balancing energy through the grid by feeding it back in peak periods after storing it in off-peak periods. EV owners who have solar systems can already reduce running costs by storing solar energy in the…

EVERY MONTH, fresh-faced sales staff arrive at the HQ of a major car brand for training courses. The new recruits will be told all about the company and its products, along with learning the more mundane methods of paperwork and admin. A crucial part of this is the ordering system, which allows the salesperson to check central stock and place a factory order if needed. The recruits are dispatched to a nearby dealership to try the system ‘live’, so they can play around with colours and options to see what’s required. The system’s administrators know all about the training so automatically discard any car orders placed in the afternoon of the second Wednesday of the month from that particular dealer. Unfortunately, one of the trainees went off-piste and opened the…

MONDAY I’ve been doing plenty of Alpine miles this week, and this evening I took my first in-depth look at Caterham’s Project V all-electric coupé, a car that could well replace our A110 when it’s launched in 2026 (provided I don’t decide to keep the Alpine forever as a way of remembering how good ICE cars became). Project V is remarkably similar to the A110 in size, weight, price, function, eye appeal and even range, but one big difference is its threeseater layout. That’s a design feature I’ve liked for years. In fact, it’s a specification Autocar (acting as client) laid down way back in 2000 in a full-sized concept car built for us by TWR, when that company was still on course to become Britain’s Pininfarina. It strikes me…

Polestar’s naming scheme is very literal: the 3 is the third model from Polestar since it was spun off from Volvo as a stand-alone car maker. Of course, that doesn’t tell you much about its positioning, and it’s getting even more complicated, because the 4, 5 and 6 have already been revealed. So here’s a refresher: the 3 is a large SUV (electric, obviously) aimed at the Audi Q8 E-tron, BMW iX and Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV. The 4 is a smaller, swoopier SUV, the 5 is a Porsche Taycan-rivalling fastback and the 6 is a roadster (yes, all EVs). So Polestar is quickly going from a one-car offering to a big line-up. Today, it’s the 3 we’re interested in, because we’ve had an early drive of a prototype. It will…

Hyundai and Kia have an astonishing market share in their homeland of South Korea. The brands account for around nine in every 10 cars sold, and most of the rest on the road are other Korean motors. There are some interlopers, often BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes, but among them you will also spot the occasional Land Rover Discovery 4. None of its peers, though: not Range Rovers, not Toyotas, not double-cab pick-up trucks. But enough Disco 4s to suggest there’s a following. I think Hyundai design chief SangYup Lee has rather more imagination than to reprise the Disco 4, by the way. But on unveiling the Santa Fe, he did talk about how ‘outdoors’ culture had become more mainstream and he wanted the Santa Fe to reflect that. There’s even apparently…

“Today there are just 8400 and BP reckons there’s still a 25% contraction to come” Just over 100 years ago, the UK’s first filling station opened. It was in Aldermaston, Berkshire, and was owned by the AA. Motorists liked the convenience of having fuel pumped into their cars so much that by 1923, just four years after that first station opened, there were 7000 pumps in operation. Fast forward to today and that Aldermaston filling station is now just a lay-by. With the car market transitioning to electric, are more filling stations likely to follow suit and disappear? Platts Garage, in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, and barely 20 miles from Aldermaston, was one of the first garages to pump fuel, and they’re still doing so. Platts does it the old-fashioned way, too,…

Watts up ahead We have two EVs: a Tesla Model S and a Jaguar I-Pace. In common with most EV drivers, we usually plan our charging stops in advance, so we have an ‘option one’ and an ‘option two’ in case of any issues. Sometimes, however, plans change. It would be of great benefit to many if, on the motorway services boards, along with Costa, KFC etc, there were EV charging symbols. It would also be useful if the number of stalls and the charging rate could be displayed. For instance, ‘EV – 10 (350kW)’. The same information could also be displayed next to the Tesla logo, to aid those drivers. I think it would assist in dispelling the notion that chargers are difficult to find. As far as the…

Many people’s experience of the W212, the fourth generation (2009-2016) of Mercedes-Benz E-Class, is probably being whisked to the airport in a saloon. Impressed by its spaciousness, refinement and deeprooted quality, they glance at the instrument cluster to discover that it has done way over 200,000 miles. One day, they promise themselves, they will have one of these… Well, with £14,000, buying one of the last 2016-reg diesels (a Euro 6-compliant E220 Bluetec AMG Night Edition auto with a reasonable 70,000 miles), that day has come. Alternatively, the estate, with its 1950 litres of seats-down load space and self-levelling rear suspension, is only around £1000 more for the same year and spec. There’s a coupé and a convertible, too, but here we’re concerned with the saloon and estate. The model…

AUDI A2 3L 2005, 117,000 miles, £7000 The only thing worthy of replacing an A2 is another A2. This is a rare, hyper-efficient 3L version that has been fastidiously maintained. There’s just one catch: you will have to go to south-west Germany to get it. VOLVO C30 2.0 SE LUX 2011, 33,000 miles, £6795 Another well-designed premium hatch that was never properly replaced. This is a later example with a petrol engine, a smart-looking leather interior, plenty of kit and slightly softer suspension than the popular R-Design model. NISSAN CUBE 1.5 15X PARTY SELECTION 2011, 72,500 miles, £7195 A curious supermini choice but one that’s also rather practical and comfy. It won’t be for everyone, and its velour seats might prove a nightmare to keep clean, but a select few will…

Given the clear appeal of a vehicle that combines the best bits of car and boat, it’s no surprise that there has been a, er, raft of vehicles vying for supremacy on the ocean waves over the years. Most of them have been commercial disasters, but if you thought the amphibious car was a niche too far, there remain plenty of firms that will still sell you one… Amphicar 770 1961 Once the Second World War had receded into history (see below), the Amphicar became the most successful amphibious car ever made, at least in commercial terms. In just four years of production, almost 4000 were sold. Power came from a 45bhp 1147cc Triumph Herald engine, which could take the car to 70mph on land and about seven knots on…

The new Dacia Duster has been revealed for 2024 and is claimed by its maker to be the “best bargain on the market” after undergoing a technical revolution that includes the introduction of the SUV’s first electrified powertrains. Gone is the B0 platform that has underpinned every Duster since the 2009 original. It has been replaced by the CMF-B architecture employed by cars including the Dacia Sandero, Renault Clio and Nissan Juke. The move is said to significantly benefit practicality, refinement and dynamics without compromising the Duster’s compact size. It also enables the introduction of hybrid and mild-hybrid powertrains alongside a pure-petrol option. The entry-level 88bhp three-cylinder turbo petrol has been dropped, so the line-up now begins with the 99bhp fourcylinder engine. This is capable of running on both petrol…

HYUNDAI HAS UPDATED the Tucson with a subtle, simplified new look and an all-new cockpit that brings the crossover into line with its newer electric siblings, the Ioniq 5 and 6. The infotainment touchscreen and driver display are now integrated into a slick, curved one-piece panel behind a new-look steering wheel. The centre console has also been tidied up and there is a new haptic control stack for various functions – but heater dials make a return in a bid to enhance usability on the move. There’s no word yet on any powertrain changes, but it is expected to keep its petrol, hybrid and PHEV options when it is launched in the UK in May.…

Nissan will invest up to £1.12 billion in its UK operations to build the electric successors to the current huge-selling Qashqai and Juke models at its factory in Sunderland – where they will join the next-generation Leaf. The Japanese firm currently produces three models at the plant: the hybrid Qashqai and Juke, and the electric Leaf. In 2021, Nissan confirmed a £1bn investment in the site to produce the next-generation Leaf successor and develop a battery factory with an eventual annual capacity of about 35GWh – enough to supply around 100,000 EVs with batteries. The new announcement considerably ramps up the ambitions for the site, with the total investment package worth around £2bn including partners – amounting to £3bn investment overall. Significantly, it will include a third battery factory and…

American EV maker Lucid will launch in the UK within the next two years before expanding its range with an affordable mid-sized model line to rival Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y. Lucid launched the Air saloon in 2021 and earlier this month revealed its long-awaited SUV sibling, the Gravity, which are both priced from around $80,000 (£64,000) and aimed at the luxury end of the market. But the next model line to be introduced will take the brand boldly into more mainstream territory, with CEO Peter Rawlinson suggesting to Autocar a starting price of “about $50,000” (£40,000) and laying bare his ambition to drastically increase Lucid’s sales volumes. “We have to go with volume, because that’s what we’re about,” he said, explaining that Lucid had to launch the high-end…

JLR has invested more than £10 million in upgrading the security of some of its older cars in response to high theft rates. The move comes after JLR CEO Adrian Mardell told investors in March that “theft of our vehicles in large cities has become a problem”, following an Autocar investigation that revealed some insurers were refusing to cover Range Rover owners, because the risk of theft had become so great. JLR was even forced to halt its own insurance offering last year, after partner firm Verex said it would no longer extend coverage. Mardell said “mostly old-architecture” (meaning previous-generation) cars were at risk of theft, and it’s these that will benefit from the company’s investment in improved security. JLR said it has this year upgraded the security of more…

The Formula 1 season will be over by the time you read this, but let’s take a beat to reflect on the most anticipated new race of 2023. The first grand prix weekend in Las Vegas since 1982 got off to a terrible start, all because of a loose drain cover. But by the end of the penultimate race of 2023, Sin City had contrived to somehow live up to the overblown hype. Just as well, given the much-vaunted half-abillion dollars F1 had gambled. Max Verstappen was all smiles in his Elvis-style race suit after winning one of the best races of the season, having spent the previous few days grumpily taking every opportunity to let us all know precisely how much he hated the razzmatazz. Biting the hand that…

At what stage might the enduring popularity of the Corsa become a problem for Vauxhall? Just in receipt of a facelift, it remains the biggestselling supermini in the UK and Vauxhall is still selling three or four petrol ones for every electric one. Yet from 2024, the government will dictate that every manufacturer steadily reduces its ICE car sales, under threat of severe penalties. If you were Vauxhall, what would you do? Ramp up equipment levels and prices to suit in the hope of making more money from fewer petrol Corsa sales, perhaps? We can imagine that might be a common theme as we approach 2035. Well, for the time being, the firm seems mostly happy to continue playing the big-volume game and to keep faith with combustion, because while…

Once an undisputed star of the new car sales charts, the Tesla Model 3 has been fading in showroom (or should that be web page?) sparkle over the past year, sliding off the bottom of the UK’s top 10 sellers chart for 2023. That slump certainly doesn’t have anything to do with the popularity of the Tesla brand, because the Model Y SUV has been flying high, taking fifth spot here in Britain and top honours globally. And despite some nervousness from first-time private buyers, EV registrations continue to soar overall. So what could be holding the Model 3 back? Well, the premium EV sector is image and technology obsessed, so after six years without any significant changes, any contender is going to lose a little of its lustre. And…

MODEL TESTED eDRIVE40 M SPORT PRO • Price £77,105 • Power 335bhp • Torque 317lb ft • 0-60mph 5.4sec • 30-70mph 4.4sec • Economy 2.9mpkWh • Max DC charging speed 198kW • 70-0mph 47.0m Executive saloons have over previous decades gained a reputation for conservatism that, while hard to shake, is now entirely unjustified. Twenty-five years ago, company car buyers wanted efficient diesel engines in packages priced and equipped just so. They didn’t want expensive powertrain technology. They didn’t even want riskier shades of paint. At the time, BMW played to that brief spectacularly well. But now, the executive car market has changed out of sight, under the pressure of CO2-based tax regimes. And how the BMW 5 Series has changed along with it. The eighth generation of this mid-sized…

MILEAGE 7100 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see how well Alfa’s new PHEV small SUV balances rationality and emotion There have been no far-flung adventures of late for which to use the Tonale as my carriage, but a recent multi-stop trip meant plenty of hours in it for me to ponder its strengths and foibles. First up, flinging everything into the car in disorganised fashion. A compact buggy, two jam-packed overnight bags, a small bike (on the rear seats) and lots of smaller bags fitted in fine, even if I had to be a little firm when closing the boot. With toddler firmly secured in the rear, the first stop on our notquite-adventure was around the M25 from Twickenham to Romford. This was uneventful, other than the realisation that there’s…

I was pleased to see that Toyota has updated the styling direction of its EV concepts (News, 1 November). None have the hideously complex front grilles that have adorned many of the firm’s recent production offerings. That said, given that most people in the world are presently having to tighten their belts, I fear that the proliferation of headline-grabbing sports car concepts at the Tokyo motor show might not see the light of day as production vehicles. The Toyota FT-Se, two Lexus LFs, Nissan Hyper Force and Honda Prelude all look great, but they also look like expensive niche cars, while the rear of the Mazda Iconic SP bears a strong resemblance to the Lotus Elise. While I’m on the subject of design, what brand used to be known for…

An owner’s view ALEX ZAKOWICZ “Our 2010 E250 CDI Avantgarde automatic estate has done 224,000 miles. We’re the second owners, responsible for just 15,000 of them. You’d never know from driving it that it has done such a high mileage. Honestly, it feels like it’s just left the factory. It helps that the first owner had it serviced exclusively by Mercedes dealers. We now use a specialist that I trust. Being in Avantgarde trim and with rear self-levelling suspension, it’s very comfortable. Around town, it will do around 38mpg, but on the open road we’ve seen almost 50mpg.” Buyer beware… ENGINE There have been reports of some cars throwing their timing chains, so listen for rattles when the engine is warm. The 220 CDI and 250 CDI engines have experienced…

“SINCE LONG BEFORE Britain’s first motorway opened in 1958, pleas for an upper speed limit on them have been heard with depressing regularity,” we sighed 58 years ago. “Now the matter has come up again, and this time it’s [government body] the National Road Safety Council which has reportedly proposed a limit of between 50mph and 70mph after dark.” “Quite how this has arisen from a series of disastrous concertina accidents [on the M6] when drivers were hampered by fog is difficult to understand,” we continued. Indeed, the local chief constable had admitted on television that the speeds involved hadn’t been high – less than 30mph, in fact. “As regular users of British motorways know, there’s no need for a limit,” we asserted, citing drivers bunching up and staring at…