Auto Express 1401

IT’S taken a while, but just a couple of weeks ago VW high-ups finally faced the world’s press to talk about the emissions scandal. I had two questions, which we’d waited weeks for answers to: how would the remedial work affect owners’ cars and what about compensation after the generous $500 cash handout to US owners? It’s taken a long time to find the appropriate fix to eliminate the defeat device from cars, and then to get approval from the various authorities for the proposed changes. But it didn’t take long for new VW CEO Matthias Müller to provide some answers at his first press conference in the hot seat. “We’re offering technical solutions that do not impact performance,” Müller told me. “The impact will be negligible, customers won’t be…

RENAULT is undergoing something of a renaissance. The brand’s reinvention started in 2012 with the curvy Clio, which swept in with daring styling, the latest connectivity and a boost in quality. It was followed by the Captur crossover, Twingo city car and, earlier this year, the Kadjar SUV. All Renault needed to complete the overhaul was a new family hatch – and here it is. This new Mégane Mark 4 – on sale next summer – aims not only to carry on the revitalisation of the range, but also right the wrongs of the previous car, which lost all the quirky styling cues Méganes in the past had been so well known for. It’s for that very reason the new Mégane is designed to stand out. It’s the widest car…

RENAULT’S family car revolution is nearly complete. The Kadjar crossover is now on sale and the next-generation Mégane (driven on Page 6) is just around the corner – so attention turns to the all-new Scenic MPV, due later in 2016. It’s set to launch at the Geneva Motor Show in March, and our exclusive main image shows its more stylish, dynamic design. At September’s Frankfurt show, design boss Laurens van den Acker told Auto Express the Scenic formula needed to be refined to “make parents fall in love again”, using a “sensuous and voluptuous” design. And it’s clear from these spy shots and our image that the design has progressed into a curvier shape and less upright profile. This camouflaged prototype (right) is French-registered, but was spotted in Maidstone, Kent,…

THE Scenic and Grand Scenic won’t be the only Renaults arriving in showrooms in 2016. It’s set to be a busy 12 months for the company, with the MPVs just the start. The car that kickstarted Renault’s revival in 2012, the Clio, will get a new look next year. New headlamps, possibly with integrated daytime running lights, plus tweaked bumpers will make up the changes. The Clio will also benefit from a few fresh paint options, as well as new alloy wheel designs and subtle interior tweaks. Arriving in the summer will be the new Mégane hatch (driven on Page 6), and by the end of the year it will have been joined by an estate – likely to be called Sport Tourer. Although we will have to wait until…

VAUXHALL has upgraded its inspection and reworking programme of its Zafira ‘B’ to a full safety recall to prevent any further fires in the heating and ventilation system. This in spite of the root problem being identified as dangerous repairs by non-Vauxhall technicians. A number of fires have been reported in the Zafira ‘B’, on sale from 2009-14. Vauxhall immediately initiated an ‘inspection and rework’ programme, cont ng owners of the 234,938 affected cars – that has now been upgraded to a full safety recall with the Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). The DVSA has agreed with Vauxhall’s root cause investigations, which have identified the cause of fires to be the faulty repair of a thermal fuse in a resistor that forms part of the heating and ventilation system of…

BEFORE it adds the racy Astra GSi to the range, Vauxhall will introduce a new twinturbodiesel version of its Ford Focus rival – and our spies have caught it on test. Powered by a tweaked version of the existing 1.6-litre ‘Whisper’ CDTi engine, the Astra BiTurbo will produce 158bhp and 350Nm of torque. It becomes the quickest diesel in the family hatchback range, sprinting from 0-62mph in 8.1 seconds. Vauxhall also claims impressive 67.3mpg fuel economy, as well as CO2 emissions of 111g/km. Alongside the power boost, the car will get a slightly tweaked front end, plus chrome detailing on the lower section of the bumper. The BiTurbo engine will also be available in the upcoming Sports Tourer estate, but both versions are limited to SRi and Elite specs. Prices…