Auto Express October 14, 2015

WE’VE devised a new in-car game in the Fowler family: can you spot a Ford Fiesta before the clock runs down? Sometimes we allow ourselves a minute, sometimes two – it rarely takes more. Fun, eh? The Ford Fiesta is Britain’s best-selling car by a country mile, so far this year selling nearly 50 per cent more than the Vauxhall Corsa in second place. It’s been that way for decades, and in this issue we’ve been able to put a new Fiesta ST head-to-head with a 1989 XR2 – fantastic retro fun. Meeting up with Ford of Britain boss Andy Barratt, he proudly told me that Ford sold over 71,000 cars and vans in September. I’ve always taken the word ‘sold’ with a pinch of salt given the amount of…

1. DASHBOARD Two high-definition digital displays replace traditional instruments and dash screen 2. HI-TECH Tech and safety systems will be among the most advanced of any production model 3. AUTO DRIVE Driver’s hands must remain on wheel to activate new autonomous driving system THE new C-Class and S-Class bookend Mercedes’ executive saloon range, with box-fresh designs and strong sales. But sandwiched in the middle is the ageing E-Class – and it’s beginning to get left behind. All that’s about to change, though. Next year, Mercedes will introduce the seventh generation of its most successful model ever, as it looks to build on the 13 million sales the E-Class has already achieved globally. At January’s Detroit Motor Show the wraps will come off the company’s all-new BMW 5 Series rival –…

IT was only a matter of time before BMW’s M division got its hands on the 2 Series, and this is the result – the hotly anticipated M2 Coupé. Priced from £44,070, it will go on sale in April next year, with fewer than 500 models earmarked for the UK. Two years after the car on which it’s based was launched, the M2 has the Audi RS 3 firmly in its sights. With the M division’s reputation for producing brilliantly balanced, agile and searingly fast rear-wheel-drive performance cars, this new M2 Coupé is set to be a worthy competitor. It looks like a baby M4. It has similar air intakes at the front, flared wheelarches and trademark quad exhausts. The rear end is more toned and sculpted than the 2…

TOYOTA is set to unveil a stylish new sports car at this month’s Tokyo Motor Show which has its sights set on Mazda’s MX-5. The S-FR – Small Front Engine Rear Drive – concept is a two-seater which Toyota says will become its entry-level sports coupé. The S-FR will go on sale in early 2017 – and it could be sold globally, including in the UK. Pricing would be expected to start around the £13,000 mark. The Japanese company is remaining tight-lipped on performance, but has said it will celebrate the brand’s “fine heritage of lightweight, fun-to-drive sports cars”, and will sit below the current GT86 and planned Supra successor in Toyota’s model range. Sources have indicated to Auto Express that the coupé will tip the scales at about 980kg…

MITSUBISHI is also preparing for the Tokyo Motor Show by revealing first pictures of its new eX compact SUV concept. The eX showcases a future all-electric small SUV from the Japanese manufacturer, which will sit alongside the next-generation ASX due in 2017. The eX concept shares a familiar look with another of Mitsubishi’s concepts, the XR-PHEV – which previews the next ASX. The eX has a similar, angular front end with an X-shaped grille motif, while the high waistline and small glasshouse echo the Range Rover Evoque. Unlike the XR-PHEV, which features a plug-in hybrid, range-extender powertrain, the eX debuts a purely electric, all-wheel-drive system. Although it’s still in its early stages of development, a source at Mitsubishi told Auto Express the eX will make production and form part of…

THE barrage of concept cars at Tokyo will continue with Nissan, as it debuts the new Teatro for Dayz and updated 2020 Vision GT. The Teatro for Dayz is designed to appeal to the next generation of drivers who are growing up in an increasingly digital age, and focuses on connectivity and technology. Nissan has coined the term ‘share natives’ to describe the type of person this car is designed for – those who constantly share experiences and stories online. It’s an all-electric concept and features lounge-style seating which allows passengers to turn and face one another, while the door trims, dash and seats have all been fitted with digital displays. The 2020 Vision GT concept – which shows how a future GT-R could look – has been updated with…