Auto Express 1437

I’M a self-confessed Tesla fan. I love the cars, the tech, the performance, the buying experience – pretty much everything. I’ve also had the pleasure of interviewing Elon Musk, one of the most interesting (and cleverest) people I’ve met. So it was with great excitement that I was invited last week to an online chat with Elon, for yet another groundbreaking announcement – this time, of the Model S with an upgraded 100kWh battery. That turns this five-door, five-seater into the fastest car on sale with a 2.5-second 0-60mph time – astonishing. One thing I particularly like about Elon is his boyish enthusiasm for his cars. “It’s an historic milestone that the fastest car in the world is electric,” he said. “0-60 in under three seconds for a Model X;…

“New five and seven-seat Astrasized crossover will share platform tech with Peugeot 3008 and 5008” VAUXHALL will have a five-strong SUV line-up by the end of the decade, including an all-new Astra-sized crossover rival for the Nissan Qashqai (right), Auto Express can exclusively reveal. The British brand and its German sister Opel are playing a quick game of catch-up to expand their SUV range, which currently comprises only the recently refreshed Mokka X. The lack of other crossover options in the lineup has left GM Europe’s brands flatfooted in the face of huge rising demand for SUVs and rapidly dropping sales of conventional MPVs such as the Meriva and Zafira. The first vehicle to arrive will be a new Corsa-sized model (top) that will join the Mokka in rivalling the…

“CXPERIENCE is designed to show how Citroen’s styling can work on larger cars” CITROEN is hinting at how a future replacement for its C5 family car could look with its Paris Motor Show star, the plug-in hybrid CXPERIENCE. The concept is a large hatchback (Citroen calls it a two-box saloon) that’s around the same length as the current five-door Ford Mondeo. The CXPERIENCE is considerably wider, though, at two metres, and sits much lower, with a roofline at just 1.37 metres – some 10cm lower than the Ford’s. The name – pronounced ‘C-experience’ – suggests a broader Citroen experience, and is a play on the CX name, used for the company’s family car from the seventies and eighties; a model that preceded the C5. Indeed, the side profile of the…

“New i30 feels much sportier than before, with weightier steering and good body control” FAMILY hatchbacks remain big business despite the relentless rise of crossovers and SUVs. With the new Renault Mégane and Vauxhall Astra upping their game, the pressure is on Hyundai to deliver a credible competitor with its next i30. Auto Express saw how development was progressing with an early drive in a pre-production model, ahead of its public debut at the Paris Motor Show at the end of September. Before we even turn the key, it’s clear this new Hyundai will be a big step up over the old car – the Mk3 i30 has been designed from the ground up with European buyers in mind. There’s a completely reworked chassis that bosses say has been extensively…

EV BOOM: The new cars plugging in to take the fight to Tesla over the next few years TESLA has once again moved the electric car game on with the introduction of new, faster P100D versions of its Model S and Model X. Costing from £114,200 and £117,200 respectively, both the saloon and SUV feature a more powerful 100kWh battery pack which increases performance and range. Tesla claims the Model S P100D is capable of sprinting from 0-60mph in 2.5 seconds, with an all-electric range of 381 miles from a single charge. In a conference call following the announcement, Tesla founder Elon Musk said: “There are only two cars faster to 60mph, and those are the electric LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder. “The fastest car in the world that you…

Special Elise marks 50 years at Hethel LOTUS is marking the 50th anniversary of its base in Hethel, Norfolk, with a new special-edition Elise. Limited to only 50 models, the 250 Special Edition (above) becomes the most expensive Elise on sale, at £47,900. Lotus has cut the weight to 899kg by using hand-finished carbon fibre and aluminium components. The 250 also gets a carbon-fibre front splitter, rear wing and tailgate, and sports seats trimmed in leather. PAGE 90: Mike Rutherford’s view Record car output in Britain revealed BRITAIN’S car manufacturers are churning out new models at a record pace as over a million new cars have been produced in the first seven months of 2016, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). July’s output was up for…