Auto Express October 7, 2015

WE were hugely impressed with the all-new A4 saloon when we sampled it on the streets of Venice last month, but this week it’s time for the definitive verdict on the UK’s rough roads. Although it doesn’t look much different, the compact executive newcomer is bigger, lighter, more luxurious and more efficient than the outgoing versions. It has some tough competition in the shape of the Jaguar XE and new BMW 3 Series, but we’ll be finding out if it can knock the big boys off their perch on our website. For more visit autoexpress.co.uk…

AS the VW scandal rumbles on and shows no sign of letting up (as our report on Page 12 shows), it’s no surprise that much of the debate has spread to the wider pollution issue and whether this could be the death of diesel power. The latest diesels that comply with Euro 6 tests – assuming you believe the results – are much cleaner than before across all pollutants, but we are seeing a slight shift in attitudes. Auto Express’s sister website Carbuyer.co.ukhas seen an increase of nearly a quarter in the number of people looking at reviews of electric and hybrid cars in the past few weeks – no doubt fuelled by the latest rumpus. Meeting up with Tesla boss Elon Musk last week, he told us that he…

TESLA’S Model X has arrived, catapulting the electric car pioneer into the hugely competitive global SUV market. The all-electric, all-wheel-drive 4x4 model joins the Model S saloon in the brand’s product range. It’s designed first and foremost as a family utility vehicle with seven seats, class-leading interior space and practicality, married to strong safety credentials centred around active collision avoidance technology. Beyond that, it’s got ‘falcon wing’ rear doors, a ‘Bioweapon Defence’ button and a range of up to 257 miles – plus, top-spec models will surge from 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds. Speaking at the Model X launch event in California, Tesla boss Elon Musk explained that he’d set out to prove that any car could go electric. The Model X follows the lead of the Model S by offering…

AS well as unveiling the new Model X, Tesla boss Elon Musk has kept a close eye on the VW emissions crisis – and told Auto Express what he’d do if he was in charge of the troubled firm. Musk feels VW should commit to a greener future to make up for its deception. He told us: “If I was taking over VW, I’d go the other way and aim to be a leader [in clean vehicles]. Maybe the path to redemption is towards clean vehicles.” He also said that car companies should go electric, or die. “All car companies will go electric eventually,” said Musk. “Any car company that doesn’t go electric will be out of business.” Speaking specifically about the VW scandal, Musk said: “With hydrocarbon combustion we’ve…

AFTER unveiling a concept version of the M4 GTS at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California earlier this year, BMW has lifted the covers off the production-ready version – complete with an uprated 493bhp straight-six engine and lightweight carbon fibre body parts. The special-edition M4 GTS is designed as the halo product for BMW’s M-car line-up, and will be strictly limited to 700 units worldwide. Half will find homes in the US and Canada, with the rest distributed globally. Just 30 are destined for the UK, with each costing £121,770 – more than twice the price of a standard M4 Coupé. According to M4 product manager Christoph Smieskol, the GTS continues the brand’s history of “special GTS models”, and “proves what M is capable of”. The lightweight road car…

THE Volkswagen Group has suspended the sale of 4,000 new cars in Britain, just days after announcing plans to recall the 11 million vehicles affected by the diesel emissions test cheating scandal. In the UK, more than 1.1 million vehicles will be affected by the recall on the EA 189 engines across the VW Group’s brands (see our main image), and it has suspended the sale of Euro 5 models across all affected makes. VW said there are around 4,000 vehicles affected, either in central or dealer stock, that will not be offered for sale until necessary modifications are carried out. The 4,000 vehicles represent around three per cent of the brands’ total stock in the UK. Although all new cars sold from September onwards have to be compliant with…