Innholdsfortegnelse for July 16, 2025 i Autocar

A new V8-engined Lexus supercar that will rival the likes of the Aston Martin Vantage and Mercedes-AMG GT has been run in public for the first time. The GT Concept is the homologated variant of the incoming GT3 GR racer, which was itself revealed in concept form in 2022. Both models took to the hillclimb at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed. The road-going version of the GT3 GR – which has been spotted by spy photographers over the past few months – is likely to be badged as a Lexus rather than a Toyota. Such a move would be in keeping with the premium brand’s history of creating large-engined sports cars, including the LFA, RC F and LC 500. As such, it is thought to preview what could be the spiritual…

The Hyundai N division’s second electric performance car, the 641bhp Ioniq 6 N, will arrive this autumn as a sharper, keener and “more sophisticated and predictable” follow-up to the lauded Ioniq 5 N. Speaking to Autocar, N founder and vice-president Joon Park said the new 6 N will take advantage of its lower saloon silhouette to be a different proposition from its smaller sibling, with which it shares a powertrain. “An ‘N Grip Boost’ button releases the full 641bhp regardless of drive mode” “We want a different type of driving experience between the two,” he said. “The 5 N is a bit wilder, the 6 N is more precise.” Every new design element on the 6 N, which is based on the latest facelifted Ioniq 6 but with wider wheel…

THE 634BHP HYBRID Corvette E-Ray is being launched in the UK as the latest stage of GM’s plan to revive its business in Europe. The American-made supercar will be the third Corvette sold here, alongside the purecombustion Stingray and track-honed Z06. The new model’s arrival coincides with GM expanding its dealer network as it prepares for the imminent relaunch of Cadillac, which is due to bring the Optiq and Lyriq electric SUVs to the UK. In the meantime, the E-Ray will form the spearhead of GM’s UK relaunch. Priced from £153,440, it is powered by a 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine and a single, frontmounted electric motor. The mid-mounted V8 puts 475bhp through the rear wheels, while the electric motor sends 159bhp to the front axle, giving a combined 634bhp…

THREE MONTHS AGO, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders boss Mike Hawes said it “felt like you were being punched on all sides”. But the government’s new UK Modern Industrial Strategy is one of a number of developments that makes Hawes “a bit more optimistic” about the future. An automotive-specific trade deal with the Trump administration – the only one signed and in force of its kind in the world – is another reason for hope. People have even stopped asking him about Brexit… Hawes credits this government, and in particular business secretary Jonathan Reynolds, for giving meaningful support to the industry. To that end, it is “encouraging” that there are references to the automotive industry “liberally sprinkled” throughout the strategy, which was announced at Horiba MIRA the day before…

I was interested by your article on Arnott Racing Cars (Lost in the archive, 25 June). The company’s chief engineer, George Thornton, was my father. This image (above) is of Arnott’s 1955 Le Mans car being driven to the circuit by my father. The numberone driver of the car was Jim Russell, later to run the eponymous racing driver school at Snetterton, whose alumni included one Emerson Fittipaldi, I believe. The original co-driver was to have been Ivor Bueb, but he was poached by ‘Lofty’ England (albeit with Daphne Arnott’s agreement) to partner Mike Hawthorn in the Jaguar D-Type that eventually won that very sad race. Peter Taylor was very much a last-minute substitute; he had never driven the car before. The car was repaired after being crashed at Le…

The F80 is the Ferrari that’s too fast for Fiorano. It’s the latest limited-run, extreme-performance Ferrari of the kind that appears once a decade, a lineage featuring the GTO (aka 288), F40, F50, Enzo and LaFerrari, and it is the first that hasn’t been demonstrated at Ferrari’s home test track. Instead it was presented at Misano, a wider and longer circuit than Fiorano and more suitable for a car with the F80’s astonishing performance. Misano is popular with motorcycle racers and looked as expansive as Silverstone on the video I watched of an Audi R8 GT3 lapping it. The F80’s speed made it feel about half the size in reality. To the details first, though. The F80’s development timeline almost mirrors that of the 499P Le Mans-winning race car. The…

The project to develop the incredible Adrian Newey-penned Valkyrie hypercar was signed off long before Adrian Hallmark joined, but the CEO wouldn’t rule out doing it again. “Would we enter another hypercar programme with no idea what it’s going to cost, how long it’s going to take and whether it will ever make money?” he asks. “Yeah, we would.” But don’t expect such projects to arrive on a regular cadence: “It’s the sort of thing you do when the mood takes you, like a composer.” Aston’s second mid-engined hypercar, the Valhalla, will also arrive this year. Asked if he would have signed off on that project, Hallmark says: “Absolutely I would have. Although if we’d known the price of the McLaren W1 and Ferrari F80, it wouldn’t cost £850,000.” Those…

MILEAGE 5102 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if a sub-£27,000 price tag really does give you all the car you’ll ever need It’s a sunny weekend and I’m awake early, coffee in hand and up for an adventure. But while my normal go-to might be to jump in the sports car and blitz down some B-roads, I’ve got another idea in mind: let’s off-road. While my Duster 140 is having a break in the workshop being fitted with a cool bit of kit that I will talk about another time – hint, it will be great for festival season – Dacia has handed me the keys to a 130. It has a five-speed manual gearbox, a 128bhp mild-hybrid powertrain and, most importantly for my Sunday jaunt, four-wheel drive. Autocar…

CUPRA LEON ESTATE Mileage 8271 Last seen 25.6.25 I’m down to the final few trips in ‘my’ beloved Leon and am building a list of things I’ll miss about it. The stunning acceleration, fruity exhaust, pin-sharp handling and massive boot all rank highly, but currently up top is the easy-access speed limit warning siren deactivation switch. Two taps and the bong is gone. The wonders of modern ergonomics. FP CITROEN E-C3 Mileage 1992 Last seen 9.7.25 For the most part, I like the ë-C3’s interior. The dashboard materials are a soft fabric, the seats are well cushioned and supportive, and the buttons are sited conveniently. That said, I can’t stand the shiny plastics on the centre console. They’re a magnet for fingerprints and dust and are almost impossible to keep…

TOYOTA YARIS CROSS 1.5 VVT-H DYNAMIC 2022, 25,000 miles, £19,899 This well-packaged Yaris Cross is fun to drive and will achieve close to 60mpg all day. It has an impressive kit roster, too, with adaptive cruise control and automatic headlights. This one is also four-wheel drive. SUZUKI VITARA 1.6 SZ5 ALLGRIP 2018, 27,000 miles, £14,875 A full Suzuki service history, a recent full service and a 12-month dealer warranty: this Vitara Allgrip couldn’t be in better shape. Like the Yaris Cross, it’s loaded with decent kit including adaptive cruise, and you should get 40-50mpg from its 1.6-litre petrol engine. SKODA KAROQ 2.0 TDI EDITION DSG 4WD 2018, 59,000, £16,148 With four-wheel drive, a smooth DSG gearbox and a punchy yet frugal diesel engine, this Karoq is an ideal family wagon.…

Geely recently announced that it would start selling cars under its own name in the UK – over a decade later than originally planned. Autocar first mentioned Geely in 2004, as part of a report on the emerging market and industry of China, because its first-ever car, the then six-year-old Haoqing supermini, was the cheapest of the lot. Staggeringly, it cost £2400 – but it was terribly basic and based on an ancient Daihatsu Charade. Two years later, Geely formed a joint venture with Coventry-based Manganese Bronze Holdings (MBH) to build the upcoming LTI TX4 iteration of London’s iconic black cab in Shanghai, the plan being to tempt Chinese cabbies out of their trusty old Volkswagen Jetta and Santana saloons. (MBH began life making ship propellers, if the name had…

Porsche is about to take the boldest step yet on its electrification journey by revealing a fourth-generation, battery-electric version of its most popular model, the Cayenne SUV. To be unveiled in production form later this year, the new model will be on sale in the UK this time next year. However, recognising the risk of launching a full EV version of its biggest-selling model into markets whose demand for such cars continues to waver, the firm will carry on selling and developing its existing ICE-powered Cayenne at least until 2035, said a Porsche spokesman, “and maybe beyond that”. A prototype version of the new electric Cayenne, still covered in camouflage, appeared in action at last weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, driven at full tilt on the hill by GT racer…

BRITISH PERFORMANCE specialist Lanzante has created a homage to the McLaren F1 with its own three-seat supercar, which produces 700bhp per tonne. Called the 95-59, the limited-run model is a tribute to the Lanzanterun McLaren F1 GTR that won the 1995 Le Mans 24 Hours. The Petersfieldbased firm’s new threeseat supercar produces 850bhp and 649lb ft from a mid-mounted 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8. The car is based on the McLaren-built Monocage carbonfibre chassis used by the P1, 720S and Senna, but it has been adapted by Lanzante to accommodate three occupants. Weight has been pared back to 1250kg, aided by the fitting of carbonfibre body panels and, as part of the optional LM30 Pack, a host of weight-reducing features, such as forged aluminium wheels, titanium exhaust tailpipes and goldplated heat-shielding. Combined,…

The Festival of Speed is a chance to see important new cars for the first time – and this year’s event was an absolute whirlwind of hot debuts. Newcomers included BYD’s Defender rival, the Denza B5, which showcased the potential of its 677bhp PHEV drivetrain with a run up the hill. It’s set to appear in dealerships next year. ALPINE A390 Watch out, Porsche… Alpine’s third model is a Macan Electric rival that uses trick torque-vectoring tech to offer sports car handling. MERCEDES-BENZ CLA Mercedes’ most important new car in years is finally here, with the choice of petrol power or an EV that offers a 484-mile range. MG CYBER X What if MG made a Defender? You could be looking at it. The next model in the Cyber range…

JLR has confirmed Autocar reports that the first model in the new Freelander range will be an electrified, fullsize SUV that is due in the second half of next year. Head of China, Qing Pan, added that the first car – a Porsche Macan-style model – will “echo the original spirit of Freelander”, but will be brought up to date “to appeal to discerning, technologically savvy Chinese consumers”. The revived brand is a tie-up between JLR and Chery. The Chinese car maker is responsible for the tech and platform, while JLR oversees the design. The announcement was accompanied by JLR revealing the logo for the revived Freelander brand.…

THE MASERATI MC20 supercar has a new look and a new name: MCPura. Modena has subtly refreshed the design of its five-year-old V6 flagship to keep it up to date with newer rivals such as the McLaren Artura. Revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the supercar has a new badge that reflects its ‘pure’ character. Maserati said: “We have achieved energy in its purest form: pure speed, pure luxury and pure Italian passion.” While the Artura and the Ferrari 296 use V6 plug-in hybrid powertrains, the MCPura remains a combustion-only proposition, with its 3.0-litre ‘Nettuno’ engine sending 621bhp and 531lb ft to the rear axle. Maserati claims a 0-62mph time of 2.9sec and said the MCPura will go from rest to 186mph in just 8.8sec. There are no significant…

Volkswagen will overhaul the ID 4 SUV so comprehensively next year that it will be more like a new generation than a facelift. The move is part of a drive to sustain the ID 4’s strong sales figures and make it a more obvious EV equivalent to the Tiguan. The ID 4, Volkswagen’s second bespoke electric car after the closely related ID 3 hatchback, is approaching its fifth birthday, having been launched in 2020 as a crucial component of the firm’s push to become a global leader in EV sales. It quickly became one of the world’s most popular EVs, and it remains an important part of Volkswagen’s electric portfolio: it is currently Europe’s fourth-best-selling electric car, between the ID 7 and ID 3, according to figures from industry analyst…

CITROEN SAFETY RECALL Citroën C3s have had a safety recall. We have been told not to use our car as the airbag is unsafe. The garages in my town can’t get the parts until October; in the next two towns, they can’t get the parts until next year. I have found a place 60 miles away that can fix it, but we can’t drive the car and they will not transport it there, nor give us a loan car or pay our transport expenses. How are we supposed to take a car that we aren’t allowed to drive? Citroën’s helpline will not help. Darren Leaning Via email Citroën UK said: “Our focus is on completing the replacement of airbags in affected vehicles as swiftly as possible. We are working hand…

All engines make some noises. If you’re lucky they make noises you’d consider welcome, but most of them only make a couple of different types of noise – and it’s not like you have a great deal of control over what they are. The Ferrari F80 (on p20) makes sounds that are pleasing from the inside; from the outside it’s almost inaudible. The other day I drove a Porsche 911 restomod, coming to these pages soon, which made one of the greatest overrun sounds I’ve ever heard. But it was the same noise over and again. The W16 Mistral is the final outing for Bugatti’s W16 engine after 20 years in production, and I think I counted at least six distinctly different sounds. And if you time it just right,…

It’s all about perspective. Yes, the new Ioniq 9, as tested here in bells-whistles-and-afterburners spec, is an £80,000 Hyundai. Viewed another way, it gives you much of what you would get with a top-spec Volvo EX90 or a Mercedes EQS SUV for £20,000 less. We’ve already driven a prototype in California and a Korea-spec one in Busan and now Hyundai’s sevenseat electric behemoth has landed in the UK. Our first drive on home soil is in a Performance Calligraphy model, which means dual motors with a combined output of 429bhp and all the kit you could wish for. This variant is likely to be a niche seller so we’ll do a full road test later with a more mainstream version. As a reminder, this is basically Hyundai’s version of the…

Taxi! It’s the reductive cry of many when a Prius hums into view, Toyota’s pioneering hybrid hatchback having become the ubiquitous Uber for a generation of ride-hailing devotees. Yet as the petrolelectric model celebrates its quarter century on sale in the UK, does the incredibly efficient and relentlessly reliable Prius deserve to be seen – and appreciated – as more than just a default choice for hard-nosed mini-cabbers? The obvious answer is yes, of course it does. In fact, the Prius is perhaps one of the most misunderstood and occasionally divisive cars to have hit the roads in the past 25 years. When it landed on these shores in 2000, diehard petrolheads quickly named it the ‘Pious’ – a swipe at early adopting owners who were evangelical about its tech…

Proof that the Nürburgring 24 Hours is a race like no other: when a red flag descends due to a freak power outage, pausing the action for two hours, vast swathes of the 280,000-strong crowd of spectators barely even notice. Red flags often fall at the ’Ring’s annual endurance race, typically for tumultuous weather or thick fog. Its 53rd edition last month ran amid a stifling heatwave, however, and the lengthy pause in action arrived after just nine laps and with racing conditions being otherwise perfect. Yet with many spectators camping trackside, those deepest in the Eifel forest having been there almost a week, a hushed track did very little to suppress their party spirit. We know because we joined them. Setting up camp beside halo corners such as Karussell…

MILEAGE 4123 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT Can a two-seat roadster/GT/sports car be both satisfying to own and electric? As I write, it’s quite warm and dry out so I’ve been popping the roof down on the Cyberster as often as not. This doesn’t take long, and can be done at up to 28mph, which means if it gets too toasty for my wee baldy heid, I can put it back up again without much bother. I’ve had a letter or two about the driving position, because the MG’s is relatively high in the roadster scheme of things: the battery is underneath the floor, so you can feel like you’re sitting more on than in the car. Mind you, the MGF had a similar issue and this car does say ‘100th…

Frugal, friendly and affordable, the thirdgeneration Skoda Fabia is a great little hatchback that puts common sense and usability at the very heart of its driving experience. The Mk3 Fabia doesn’t look particularly dated, yet it was launched more than a decade ago, and prices for this smart supermini are starting to look unignorably attractive. Today, you can pay as little as £1500 for a high-miler with plenty of battle scars but we found several decent mid-rung SE and rangetopping SE L cars with reasonable mileage for around £6000. That’s decent value, especially as SE cars get perks like Bluetooth, DAB radio, 15in alloys and air conditioning. SE L cars have an even better roster of kit, with climate control, 16in wheels and cruise control – and if you want…

Were new cars really once as beautiful as John Kean’s Jaguar XJ8 4.0? Amid today’s generation of aggressively styled SUVs and crossovers, it’s easy to forget that they were. Maybe it’s why, despite the presence of more expensive and exotic metal at his local car meet, his Jaguar attracts a steady stream of enthusiasts keen to be reminded. “I only bought it a few weeks ago,” he says. “I’d have liked an XJS, but decent ones are expensive and, in any case, aren’t as practical as the XJ.” John has a thing about big petrol engines, too: “I’ve had a house in Sharm El Sheikh for many years and until recently owned a Jeep Wrangler with a 6.4-litre engine out there. A big engine doesn’t get stressed like, for example,…

It’s quite large and tall so we’re sitting high. Looking at the first doubleapex, I wonder what this Cayenne EV’s body roll will feel like; actually, I’ve already got an idea as this is a Porsche with active dampers. I’ll back it to stay planted. At the wheel is Czech Porsche development driver Gabriela Jilkova (pictured, below). Today, she has more than 1000 horses underfoot from a two-motor set-up. We are at the front of the queue. This may be an EV but we’re hearing the Cayenne’s optional synthesised V8 burble at proper volume. And here, it seems entirely appropriate. The Goodwood starter gives us the thumbs-up. I expect hard acceleration but I get an explosion. My head hits the restraint behind, I’m depressed inches into upholstery that previously felt…

Joon Park wants to find “some kind of substitute” for the retired i30 N and i20 N (inset) hot hatches. It follows Park’s earlier comments that N division – with a line-up that consists of two electric cars – isn’t only for EVs. He said: “You know I love smaller and lighter cars. We need some kind of substitute for the i20 N and i30 N customers, and this is the area we need to go. We know that and we’re prepared.” Elaborating on his previous comments, Park said: “I can tell you that combustion N models aren’t finished, but it depends on regulation and the market. We will not stop with ICE cars, but it takes time and money.”…

“The IM line-up closely matches Tesla’s in price and performance” MG has launched a new sub-brand in the UK to rival Tesla with a high-tech saloon and crossover in the vein of the Model 3 and Model Y. The new 5 and 6 are the first UK-bound models from the recently established EV marque IM, which launched its first cars in China in 2022 and now has a fourstrong line-up that closely matches that of its US rival. IM was founded in 2020 by MG’s parent company SAIC, e-commerce giant Alibaba and R&D specialist Zhangjiang Hi-Tech. The brand made its European debut at the Geneva show last year, where it showed the IM 5 saloon and IM 6 SUV – now both confirmed to be heading to MG dealerships, where…

LIKE SO MANY other things, tyre design is falling under the influence of AI. The tech is being used to predict the effectiveness of different tread patterns and simulate how they might behave in the real world. Tyres have come a long way during their evolution, and this is one of those cases where a glimpse back into the past helps put things in perspective. It’s just over 120 years since the first tread of any kind appeared, and although Dunlop was on the verge of adding simple grooves to its previously smooth tyres, Continental just pipped it (and other tyre makers) to the post. A Dunlop ad of 1906 read: “This is the NON-SLIPPING DUNLOP TYRE you’ve heard so much about.” But three years earlier a Continental newspaper advert…

Maserati will launch extended-range versions of its Grecale crossover and Granturismo sports car later this year, as part of a push to keep developing and improving its EV offering. The Italian firm launched its first two EVs in 2024, and was due to introduce an electric Quattroporte this year, but this has been delayed until later in the decade due to declining demand for premium electric cars. Instead, engineering boss Davide Danesin said improving existing EVs and driving uptake is the priority. “We developed great technologies in the past years for electrification, and I think many of them are going to last,” he said. “We are still developing our battery-electric vehicles to improve performance.” Danesin did not disclose any details of these extended-range EVs. The Grecale Folgore is currently offered…

THE LAMBORGHINI URUS will continue as a plug-in hybrid for its next generation after the planned electric variant was pushed back to the middle of the next decade. Speaking to Autocar, CEO Stephan Winkelmann attributed the decision to the unpredictability of ever-changing regulations – which may also delay the arrival of the firm’s first EV, a production version of the Lanzador concept that is due to be launched in 2029. A decision on that car will be made at the start of 2026. The Urus, Lamborghini’s best-selling model, was set to go fully electric for its next generation before the end of the decade. That plan was announced when the Urus went hybrid-only last year, but Winkelmann has now confirmed it will instead continue in SE plug-in hybrid form for…

FEATURE ASTON vs FERRARI vs McLAREN An open championship tussle with a difference: Aston’s latest Vantage Roadster takes on drop-top versions of the Roma and the Artura INSIGHT WHY STEEL IS MAKING A COMEBACK We uncover the sometimes surprising reasons behind its revival ROAD TEST MG S5: STILL WANT THAT KIA EV3? New electric crossover is given no place to hide from our road testers EVERY WEEK MY CAR & I HUMVEE What’s it like to drive and own a go-anywhere military behemoth? LIVING WITH A… RANGE ROVER EVOQUE Right-sized, classy PHEV joins our fleet with plenty to prove…

You’ll know of the Kia Sportage. There’s one on your road or your school run, if not on your driveway. Along with its sibling car, the Hyundai Tucson, the Sportage has become a default family SUV over recent decades, with a long warranty, lots of space, decent technology, reassuring dynamics and sharp styling making it the best-selling SUV in the UK last year and – so far – this year. In fact, since it was introduced in 1995, Kia has sold more than 457,000 examples of the Sportage in the UK alone. So far, so profitable. The current-generation model has been given a mid-life refresh. The most obvious update is the bluff grille, which now brings the Sportage more in line with the latest ‘tiger nose’ design that also dominates…

Renault’s daring decision to reinvent the famous 5 and bust one of car design’s fundamental rules – ‘never regurgitate your history’ – appears to have been a masterstroke. The new, all-electric 5 oozes character inside and out, it handles smartly and it is ultracompetitive on cost. It’s now the clear leader in a congested class. The strategists at Renault’s HQ in Boulogne-Billancourt will be doubly delighted because they’ve had the chance to repeat the trick with another back-catalogue icon: the 4. You’ll know the source material. More than eight million 4s were sold between 1961 and 1994, with production in places ranging from Wexford in Ireland to Antananarivo in Madagascar where, brilliantly, the little French station wagon remains the taxi du jour. Where the original 5 was more about fun,…

A drian Hallmark didn’t need to join Aston Martin. In his early sixties and in sight of retirement, he “loved” his job as CEO of Bentley. So why leave the stability of the Volkswagen Group to join an independent manufacturer with a rocky recent history and which has historically struggled to return a profit? “I like a challenge,” says Hallmark. “Where I’d been, I had reached the point where I had to do the same again as we had just done. I could have easily done that and then tumbled off to the beach in a few years.” Hallmark doesn’t seem like much of a beach person. Automotive CEOs rarely are; they’re too driven to enjoy lounging on a towel. So when the chance for one last big challenge arose…

“The Bentley reveals its poise and vigour when you want it to” WHY WE RAN IT In facelifted form, is this SUV still the pinnacle of British luxury motoring? “I’m a long way from a Bentley,” joked a guest recently on Radio 2 in a conversation with Sara Cox on his mode of transport to the studio. That quip sums up quite neatly Bentley’s positioning: the pinnacle – and a conspicuous badge – of success in a capitalist world. As I mused in the introduction to this special long-termer, our Bentayga shows the impressive breadth of what Bentley has become in the modern age. If you’re a wealthy sexagenarian, you can choose an understated metallic grey Continental GT to enjoy the fruits of your life’s hard work, but if you’re…

First impressions have thrown up some surprises MILEAGE 5133 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To discover if Renault’s retro-infused EV hit is as good to live with as it is to look at Thoopla (justified) about the new Renault 5 that it’s almost a relief to start using our Iconic version as a car, as opposed to a rolling exhibit and a constant conversation piece. Mind you, part of that exhibit thing is our own fault. We’re the ones who specified this pretty little car in Pop Yellow – the yellowest metallic yellow you’ll ever see, made all the more vivid by its contrast with a black roof. You’ll note I’ve called the 5 a little car: opinions vary on that. Being an EV, it’s taller than your old-school Fiesta or…

AN OWNER’S VIEW ANGIE BATSON “After a hat-trick of Minis, and with grandchildren on the way, I needed something a bit more practical for boot space and rear-seat access. The answer came in the shape of a 20-plate Skoda Fabia: white, black roof and 12,000 miles on the clock. It now has 31,000 under its belt and I’m pleased to say it has been a brilliant buy, with no garage attention needed apart from tyres and MOTs. It’s a pleasure to own and it’s so easy to drive.” BUYER BEWARE… ■ ENGINE Check the oil level because the smaller engines can consume up to a litre of it every 1000 miles. Coolant leaks or an overheating engine are signs of water pump failure, possibly caused by a worn belt. A…