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IF you want to know what the future holds in the car world, ask a designer; they’re as much futurologists as stylists these days. And this week I had the pleasure of spending some time with one of the best, Ford’s VP of design Moray Callum. Callum (above) spoke of his excitement at Ford’s commitment to produce a car without a steering wheel by 2021 – a project he’s heavily involved in. However, he promised style won’t be forgotten in Ford’s push to be first with autonomous driving. “Some people will always want to be seen in one car rather than another,” Callum told me. “With autonomous cars, people won’t want a Google car – they don’t want to be seen in a science project.” Even existing tech was proving…

THE Skoda Fabia SUV has been given the green light for production, according to the company’s head of research and development – and it will attempt to move beyond the recent formula for small crossovers by offering genuine practicality, Auto Express can exclusively reveal. The Fabia SUV – a rival for the Citroen C4 Cactus and Nissan Juke – has been under consideration for more than two years, and our exclusive images show how it could look. As recently as last autumn, the firm teased a sketch of the car to journalists, but insisted it had not been approved for production. Now Christian Strube, Skoda’s board member for research and development, has acknowledged that the project is under way in earnest. When asked at the recent Paris Motor Show if…

“The model has already been confirmed for China, where it will be built in one of Skoda’s plants” SKODA bosses have also given the green light to bringing a coupé version of the new Kodiaq SUV to Europe – but are struggling to find the production capacity to deliver it, Auto Express has learned. The coupé-SUV – in effect a slightly larger rival for the Range Rover Evoque and cars like the BMW X4 – was teased to journalists back in 2015, and it has already been confirmed for China, where it will be produced in one of Skoda’s four plants in the country alongside a cheaper large 4x4. However, the Czech company has been wrestling with the cultural implications of selling in Europe a vehicle focused on style instead…

“The chassis is stiffer than the previous car’s, so should improve response and comfort” FOLLOWING the frenzy of the Paris Motor Show, Honda has seized the opportunity to reveal its all-new CR-V. The SUV will initially go on sale in North America later this year, before making the trip across the Atlantic and into UK showrooms. No official UK release date for the new model has been announced yet, but we can expect it to arrive towards the end of 2017, priced from around £24,000. The introduction of the CR-V follows a similar path to the recent Civic, which first went on sale in North America – Honda’s most lucrative market – 18 months ago, before landing here in the coming months. Like the Civic, the CR-V will make the…

“Boss says SEAT large SUV, inspired by 20V20, will be smaller than its Skoda Kodiaq cousin” THE global SUV boom has forced several traditional vehicle bodystyles near to extinction – and it looks like SEAT’s Alhambra MPV is the next victim, Auto Express can exclusively reveal. The sevenseater is set to be axed and directly replaced by a large SUV in 2018, according to design boss Alejandro Mesonero. The current Alhambra, built alongside its Volkswagen Sharan sister car, has been on sale for six years, with only a minor facelift in 2015. When quizzed about what would eventually replace the Ford Galaxy rival, Mesonero said: “We do not want to do that bodystyle any more. “We will replace it, but not with the onebox design we have now. SEAT will…

Lexus loads up on kit with NX Sport LEXUS has announced a new Sport version of its NX SUV, which comes with 18-inch alloy wheels and a spindle grille design with a black finish – as well as black door mirrors to match. Inside, leather upholstery has been added with aluminium highlights, as has an eight-inch sat-nav screen, DAB radio, climate control and automatic lights and wipers. The Sport (above) costs £1,000 more than an NX 300h SE, at £33,995. Reform to whiplash law given the axe WHIPLASH reforms that would save motorists millions have been shelved by the Ministry of Justice. The proposals outlined by ex-Chancellor George Osborne last year are no longer a Government priority, with insurers concerned changes will never come. The reforms would have ended the…