Auto Express 1405

AUTO Express has long championed the cause of motorists, so it was pleasing to get the call to attend a session of the House of Commons Transport Select Committee last week to give my thoughts to MPs on how the car Type Approval system can be improved. (That’s me on the left in the picture above). An inquiry is ongoing into what can be done to deliver a more robust, meaningful process for car buyers in the wake of the VW emissions scandal. It proved to be an eye-opening afternoon – topics veered from potential legal action on VW to the rather startling assertion that car magazines might be partially to blame for inaccurate MPG and emissions figures, as we haven’t been proactive enough in pressing for change! When it…

“With 450Nm of torque served up from the V6 S model’s supercharger, there’s effortless performance available by stroking the car along” “Jaguar’s clever new four-wheel-drive system gives the F-Pace plenty of traction to make use of all the power from the 3.0-litre supercharged V6” JAGUAR has a real conviction to its car design at the moment. The C-X16 concept that previewed the F-Type sports car made it virtually unchanged from sketch to showroom, and the same is set to be true of the C-X17 that gave us a glimpse of the F-Pace crossover back in 2013. Jaguar’s first-ever SUV is now a whisker away from being production ready, and we got an early drive in an F-Pace prototype in the final stages of winter testing in Sweden. Given the tie-up…

SINCE the upmarket DS brand split from Citroen in 2014, the popular DS 3 has been sold with most of its double-chevron badges simply removed. But the company has now given the MINI rival a facelift to bring it into line with the larger DS 4 and DS 5. Considering that 390,000 examples of the posh supermini have found homes globally since launch in 2010, you’d have thought this would have been a priority over the family car and compact exec. But the changes are welcome all the same. The most noticeable updates are at the front, where a DS-badged hexagonal grille finally replaces the old Citroen design. Higher-spec models get smarter headlights that combine LEDs and xenons, with three jewel-like LED clusters for a distinctive look. LED indicators and…

“Plug-in 911 would still be performance-focused and the tech is likely to work with six-cylinder engines” PORSCHE’S newly turbocharged 911 will get an eco-friendly plug-in hybrid powertrain when the next-generation car is launched within the next four years. Speaking to Auto Express as the wraps came off the fastest-ever 911 Turbo at the Detroit Motor Show, 911 engineering boss Dr Erhard Mossle said: “We are, of course, working on different solutions and we’re also working on an all-electric car. “And of course, we are discussing plug-in solutions for the 911, but there are a lot of things to solve with packaging in the car and other things to solve. It will maybe be in the next generation, yes.” Mossle was quick to stress that the plug-in 911 would still be…

INFINITI wowed the crowds at Detroit with its new Q60 coupé. The BMW 4 Series rival looks more athletic than the Q50 it’s based on, with a low roofline and rising shoulders, while LED lights and a small spoiler at the back complete the sporty overhaul. The flagship Q60 will feature a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, delivering 400bhp and 475Nm of torque, and while UK efficiency figures are unconfirmed, in the US it claims 26.4mpg economy and CO2 emissions of 206g/km. There’s also a 208bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol that emits 154g/km and promises 28.8mpg, with both engines using a seven-speed auto and four-wheel drive. The interior, which looks very similar to the Q50 saloon’s, has been treated to extra insulation and active noise cancellation. The Infiniti Q60 is likely to…

KOREA’S rival to the Mercedes S-Class, the Genesis G90 from Hyundai’s luxury arm, debuted at Detroit, and bosses promise five more Genesis models by 2020. Top of the agenda for design boss Peter Schreyer is a range of SUVs to help take the brand into the European luxury market, although a G70 coupé will be first to join the new G90 and existing E-Class-rivalling Genesis saloon. “We will make beautiful SUVs,” Schreyer told Auto Express. “Proportions are important to Genesis models, with a long dash to front axle distance, short overhangs, classic premium proportions with the greenhouse sitting far back. It could very well translate into an SUV.” The G90 won’t come to Europe, but Schreyer stressed the need for the brand to go on sale in Europe to gain…