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Visit autoexpress.co.uk for all the latest new cars news YOU may have read some alarmist stories recently regarding the Chinese economy. And the slowdown in the growth of the auto industry there is always a concern for car company execs. But a sense of perspective is needed, as I found out on a flying visit to Renault’s first Chinese factory, operated jointly with Dongfeng in the city of Wuhan. As Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn told me: “Because we’ve gone from 10 per cent growth to five per cent growth, people think the whole thing is collapsing. But it’s not true. Ten per cent growth would mean an extra two million cars a year sold. It’s impossible.” Continued Ghosn: “Five per cent a year is a million extra cars a year.…

First for news every week ■ Diesel and petrol models put through paces on wintry track ■ SUV is bigger and more refined, with stronger performance John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy “The Tiguan’s rear has clear references to the current Golf” SUCH is the strength of the family SUV market in the UK that VW views its latest Tiguan as 2016’s most important new model. So Auto Express got behind the wheel in the Arctic Circle to see if it lives up to its billing. A rival for mainstream SUVs like Nissan’s Qashqai and more premium competition like the BMW X1, the Tiguan has grown substantially from the car it replaces in a bid to offer more interior space, boot capacity and towing ability. It’s a key model for VW; the outgoing version…

VW is also pushing ahead with a five-door coupé version of the Tiguan that will give the firm a rival for the Range Rover Evoque. “It is a very exciting car,” VW’s compact cars boss Dr Jochen Böhle told us. “Dr Diess [new VW brand chairman Herbert Diess] is very strong behind this model, and it’s looking fantastic.” No production sites have been agreed, but as it’s a ‘global’ car, Böhle said it would almost certainly have a European factory line: “It could be Wolfsburg. But it could be [SEAT’s plant] Martorell.” Our exclusive image shows how new VW Evoque rival could look…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy ■ Evoque-based SUV on way ■ Likely to wear E-Pace badge WE first brought you the news of Jaguar’s plan to introduce a compact SUV last June and now exclusive spy shots confirm the baby F-Pace is on its way. The model is expected to be called E-Pace, and is codenamed internally as X540. Our spy photographers caught this Range Rover Evoque test mule in the Midlands – but the car is actually registered with the DVLA as a Jaguar, revealing that engineers have begun UK tuning of the smaller crossover that will sit below the F-Pace in the line-up. A public debut is expected next year, with sales due in 2018. The 2.0-litre diesel Evoque in our pictures also has a few modifications that reveal its true…

■ Our images show new look for roomier crossover; due late 2016 Lawrence_Allan@dennis.co.uk @LobAllan “New car is expected to approach 4.2 metres in length thanks to a longer wheelbase, which means more interior space” SPIED Milos Dvorak MINI’S range revolution is nearly complete, although there’s one car that’s getting a bit long in the tooth. The Countryman, first launched in 2010, is now the oldest model in the brand’s line-up. Prototypes of the all-new second-generation crossover are undergoing final testing, and our exclusive images show you how the finished product could look when it’s released towards the end of the year. Don’t expect the Countryman’s styling to change dramatically. The car is still a strong seller and the class is booming, so a radical new design approach isn’t necessary. Spy…

EXCLUSIVEIMAGES RENAULT’S new big SUV looks set to be unveiled at April’s Beijing Motor Show, and it will have only five seats, despite being based on Nissan’s seven-seat X-Trail. Chief competitive officer Thierry Bolloré told Auto Express: “The car is ready and we expect it to be on the [Chinese] market by the end of the year. It’s not a seven-seater.” Asked why, he continued: “It is a good question and one we are questioning for ourselves at the moment. That doesn’t mean it will never happen, but for the moment it won’t have [seven seats].” Bolloré added that the car is designed in such a way that adding two more seats “would be possible” at a later stage. The car will be built beside the Kadjar at Renault’s new…