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THE launch of an all-new car brand is always interesting. But I found last week’s global introduction of LYNK & CO (see Page 14) – Chinese giant Geely’s project that aims to take the connected car concept to a new level – especially fascinating, not least because of the honesty of all involved. Firstly, Conghui An, president and CEO of the Geely Auto Group, tacitly admitted: “Many will say the world does not need another auto brand.” Then Brit Peter Horbury, executive vice president of Geely Design, confessed that creating the all-new brand was “incredibly challenging”. Starting with, literally, a blank piece of paper was, he continued, “daunting, but also liberating”. The brand’s SUV, the 01 (above) is, to these eyes at least, a credible start. And then, of course,…

“What we really wanted to emphasise with the design was the toughness. It’s a car to have an adventure in” NICOLAS GRIEBNER MINI “New Countryman is 200mm longer and 30mm wider than before, and now sits between Audi Q2 and Q3” THIS is the all-new MINI Countryman, the biggest model ever launched by the British brand. The second-generation car will arrive in the UK in February, with prices ranging from £22,465 to £28,430. Auto Express had the chance to see the Countryman up close with MINI UK’s head of product, Nicolas Griebner, who explained the changes to the big-selling model. “What we really wanted to emphasise with the new design was the ruggedness and toughness. It’s a car to have an adventure in,” he told us. Despite moving to a…

“We really concentrated on the technology and wanted to modify the car with small steps” Hot Ateca SUV spied AS the wraps were being pulled off the updated Leon, lurking outside the launch venue was a completely undisguised Ateca Cupra. It belonged to SEAT’s R&D boss Matthias Rabe – a strong sign that the racy SUV could be getting the green light for production very soon. The Cupra modifications aren’t tough to spot, thanks to its matt-black paint, big alloys and quad exhausts. There’s no tell-tale badging, but the huge Brembo brakes give us an idea of what’s going on under the skin. Power is likely to come from a 296bhp version of the 2.0-litre turbo engine in the Leon Cupra. The test mule featured a DSG automatic box, while…

“The 01 is based on the Compact Model Architecture used by Volvo to underpin future models such as the XC40” Cool concept unveiled, too ALONGSIDE the 01 SUV, LYNK & CO also showed off this striking concept car, which gives a pointer to its future design language – specifically, how it would translate to a lower-bodied model such as a saloon. The swoopy four-door four-seater made a big impact with its scissor doors, hi-tech interior and smooth surfaces. But don’t expect to see the sporty model make production any time soon. Asked where the car would fall in LYNK & CO’s numerically ordered line-up, design boss Peter Horbury laughed and said: “Down at about number six. We have to concentrate on the bread-and-butter stuff first.” CHINESE giant Geely has shown…

New Rolls upgrades add a touch of class ROLLS-Royce has announced a new ‘Spring/Summer 2017 Couture’ collection of bespoke upgrades for the Dawn. The ‘Inspired by Fashion’ model (above) is based on classic white paint, with three bright secondary interior colour choices of blue, red or Mandarin. Hand-painted coachlines, aluminium particles for the dash and a bespoke clock are just some of the design choices available to order on the luxury drop-top from next month. Campaign day cuts road death figures A DEDICATED day aimed at reducing road deaths across Europe saw a 39 per cent fall in fatalities. Project EDWARD (European Day Without A Road Death) took place on 21 September, with awareness campaigns and safety pledges made across the continent. In total there were 43 deaths across 31…

“Vehicle technology means the average repair bill has risen 25 per cent” A NEW report from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has highlighted just what motorists are paying for, with ever-increasing policy costs. Over the past year, annual motor premiums have increased by 10 per cent to an average of £434, as insurers have been forced to pay out nearly £8billion in claims. As the graphic (above) shows, bodily injuries make up more than a third of money paid out, despite accounting for just nine per cent of claims. The average settlement in 2016 hit £10,995 – up four per cent since 12 months ago. The figures come just a week after the Government announced that plans to change the laws to end the right to cash compensation…