Auto Express 1404

AS we reveal on Page 17, 2015 was a record year for car registrations with over 2.6 million cars getting their plates last year. But that doesn’t mean 2.6 million cars found homes last year. There are tens of thousands of cars on forecourts or in fields, registered, counted, but without an owner. Take a look on the classified sites of many major manufacturers and search for cars under a year old and with under 1,000 miles on the clock – you’ll be amazed at how many 15 and 65-plate cars with few miles are for sale. And with some dealers cutting costs by advertising one nearly new car when they have two or three for sale, it’s the tip of the iceberg. Who could be buying these cars and…

“Mercedes is labelling its new 5 Series rival as the most intelligent saloon in the business class” THE all-new Mercedes E-Class has been revealed at the Detroit Motor Show, ahead of its launch in the UK this spring. Mercedes is labelling its new 5 Series rival as “the most intelligent saloon in the business class”, packed with technology that’s sure to filter down the range in future. Its longer shape is more aerodynamic than before, and it comes with a brand new, four-cylinder diesel engine, which claims to give best-in-class CO2 emissions. Unsurprisingly, the new E-Class adopts a mini S-Class look, with a bold grille and oversized Mercedes badge. You’ll find the familiar LED headlights and a coupé-like roofline, too, as well as a short front overhang. The fifth-generation saloon…

“Gesture control has three sets of sensors across length of dash so driver and passenger have individual touch points” “Car can select the best route for an autonomous drive, then take control” THE annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is all about tech, but that didn’t prevent BMW using the event to reveal a doorless i8 roadster concept. As you’d expect, the car – called the iVision Future Interaction concept – was full of innovations, many of them relating to autonomous driving. But its focus is on a new interior infotainment system that relies on cloud-based services and integrates Airtouch – the next step in gesture control functionality, which replaces all switchgear. Yet designers haven’t forgotten about the exterior, creating a radical roadster that also points towards a…

THE iVision Future Interaction hogged the CES limelight, but BMW also displayed a Mirrorless i8 at the show. It has wide-angled cameras mounted on each door and the rear window which feed back to a 300cm x 85cm screen that sits in place of the rear-view mirror. The set-up has been designed to eliminate blindspots entirely, while at the same time making the i8 more aerodynamically efficient. However, BMW currently has no plans to put the concept into production.…

“The new MEB platform will be used to underpin a host of future electric models from the Volkswagen Group” VOLKSWAGEN has revealed a new all-electric concept car at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, called the Budd-e. The Microbus-style model is based on the brand’s new MEB (modular electric drive kit) platform, which will be used to underpin a host of future electric models from the Volkswagen Group. Despite VW playing down rumours of a Microbus concept ahead of the event, chief exec Herbert Diess pulled the wraps off the four-wheel-drive Budd-e, which is powered by two electric motors – one at the front and another at the rear. VW claims a range of 233 miles on a single charge, and that it’ll get from 0-60mph in 6.9…

ALSO at CES, Audi showcased a new interior concept, previewing its vision for future cabin design and tech. Previewed in the Audi e-tron concept, the new interior focuses on large touchscreen displays and gesture control – features which could first be seen on the new A8 saloon due later this year. “We are developing our successful Audi virtual cockpit into the Audi virtual dashboard and creating a new world of experience for our customers,” Ricky Hudi, Audi’s vice president for electronic development told us. “In the future, the entire system will get to know the customer and their habits and preferences.” Meanwhile, Audi is pushing forward with its research on autonomous driving, showing a new version of the computer that controls its self-driving cars.…