Auto Express August 26, 2015

I WANT to own an electric car – I really do. And I suspect there are plenty more people who feel the same way: that instant torque delivery, the eerie silence, the efficiency and never having to visit those miserable money-grabbing blokes behind the counter of my local filling station! Yes, please. So what’s stopping me? It’s not range anxiety any more – I think I can get my head around that, especially as I believe we’re on the cusp of a battery power breakthrough. The Nissan Leaf will get a 30kWh battery boost at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show, which will take range from around 80 miles (if you’re lucky) to closer to 150. And others will follow. And as we’ve revealed on Page 10, Audi will also be…

• All-new model features new platform and Vauxhall Design 2.0 • Around six inches longer than current car, but up to 200kg lighter A RADICAL new Vauxhall Insignia is less than two years away and is set to take the British marque into a fierce battle with premium brands such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes – but still at mainstream prices. Although Vauxhall has reaffirmed its status as a company for the masses under Tim Tozer’s leadership, the aim is to tempt buyers out of bottom-end premium products with a vehicle offering the design, quality and tech to rival more expensive cars – but at prices similar to today’s model. And the Insignia is just the start, with a large premium SUV also arriving by 2020. While the sleek new…

IT’S no secret that Audi’s assault on the SUV market will include an all-electric model, and at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month the brand will debut the e-tron quattro concept, previewed by this official sketch. It’s been confirmed for production in 2018, with the showroom model expected to wear the Q6 badge, and Audi is aiming for a range of more than 310 miles. The sketch does little to put the car’s overall proportions into context, but Audi has confirmed the e-tron quattro will be between the Q5 and Q7 in length. There’s a more rakish and coupé-like rear end, along with a shallow windowline. The design is a radical departure from any current Audi SUV, which possibly comes down to the influence of new design boss Marc Lichte.…

WE’VE seen a number of teasers and videos, but now full official details of the Mercedes-AMG C 63 Coupé have been unveiled. The hot version of the sleeker new C-Class Coupé will make its world debut at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show, before hitting dealers next March. Positioned firmly to steal some of the BMW M4’s thunder, the super-coupé takes the swooping profile of the regular two-door C-Class and pumps up its visual muscle. It’s marked out as an AMG-tuned model by flared wheelarches and a new front bumper with beefier air intakes. There are also larger wheels, chunky side skirts and quad exhausts, plus a slim boot spoiler. The drivetrain is identical to the C 63 saloon’s, with a storming 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 producing 469bhp and 650Nm of torque.…

OFTEN, the primary function of a concept car is to be little more than a slinky piece of motor show eye candy. However, Peugeot takes a rather different approach. The Quartz SUV and Exalt saloon not only provided us with a sneak preview of what we can expect from Peugeot’s future model ranges when they were revealed last year, but, more than that, they also work. Beneath the angular body of the Quartz and svelte lines of the Exalt, both concepts use a hybrid powertrain combining tuned versions of Peugeot’s 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine from the RCZ with electric motors – and now we’ve driven them. The newer of the two concepts is the Quartz SUV. Seen for the first time at the Paris Motor Show last year, it gave…

Practical SEAT Leon joins Business class SEAT has taken the wraps off a new SE Technology Business-spec version of its practical Leon ST estate (above). Prices start from £20,650, with standard kit including LED headlamps, sat-nav, DAB radio and auto lights and wipers. There’s a choice of two diesel engines – a 108bhp 1.6 TDI and a 148bhp 2.0 TDI – with the brand set to take initial orders early next year. Warranty for used electric cars is go THE first warranty specifically designed for used electric vehicles has been announced by Warrantywise. The news comes as thousands of EVs are reaching the end of their original three-year manufacturer guarantees. CEO Lawrence Whittaker said: “We have long supported the electric vehicle sector. Having studied the repair and parts replacement costs…