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THE Volkswagen Group has been through the mill over the past two years, but as it reported at its annual press conference last week, record sales of 10.3 million cars in 2016 suggest that it is bouncing back after Dieselgate. I was in the audience as the VW board congratulated itself on the firm’s spectacular recovery – although the fact that the bill for the scandal has now reached almost 20 million euros (and counting) must still sting a little. When the men in suits opened the floor to questions, I asked VW Group boss Matthias Müller (above, centre) if he felt the company’s brands should be following PSA Peugeot-Citroen’s lead in publishing real-world fuel economy figures for their cars. VW’s French rival issued more realistic data on around 1,000…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn VOLKSWAGEN has been relatively slow to pick up on the sales success of SUVs. But that’s about to change as the German brand rolls out new, more ‘emotional’ crossovers in the next 18 months. And it starts with the all-new Golfbased T-ROC, which we will see this summer. VW has been toying with the idea of a Golf-based SUV for over three years, since it revealed the T-ROC concept at 2014’s Geneva Motor Show. A debut for the production car was intended to be at this year’s Geneva show, but VW scrapped the idea and will instead launch it this summer, closer to its on-sale date towards the end of the year. The T-ROC will slot into VW’s line-up beneath the Tiguan (driven on Page 37), but sit…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods AUDI has officially announced that an all-new member of its SUV family, to be called the Q4, is on the way and will arrive in showrooms in 2019. The Q4 name was trademarked in 2016, and Audi has now confirmed that it will be used on a new crossover, which has been described by the brand as a “sporty, compact utility vehicle”. In real terms, it’ll be a production version of the TT Offroad concept (pictured) that was revealed at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show, and it will be a coupé-SUV to rival the upcoming BMW X2 and the larger Mercedes GLC Coupé. Audi officials talked openly of a Q4 project at the TT Offroad’s launch back in 2014, but the idea was shelved by a dispute with…

Q2 On sale THE baby of Audi’s SUV range, the Q2 competes against the likes of the MINI Countryman. Later next year, a hot SQ2 will be introduced to the range. Q3 On sale THE current Q3 is Audi’s oldest SUV, but next year, a new generation of the BMW X1 rival will be launched. Expect mini-Q5 looks. Q5 On sale SUCH is the popularity of the Q5 that Audi built a new factory in Mexico specifically to build it. The latest model has just arrived in UK showrooms. e-tron 2018 THE e-tron quattro concept from 2015 previewed Audi’s first all-electric car. A 310-mile range has been promised for the production model. Q7 On sale AS Audi’s current flagship SUV, the seven-seat Q7 faces stiff opposition from cars like the…

THE passenger seat isn’t usually the best place for first impressions, but as the car here is Mercedes’ new S-Class we’ll make an exception. Not that the driver is doing much of the driving; the new S-Class, which will be revealed fully within the next month, is pretty much driving itself. Outwardly, even under the swirled camouflage, it’s clear that the brand’s biggest saloon won’t be a radical departure in looks from the existing model. The changes to Mercedes’ technology leader relate to exactly that – technology and specifically the driver assistance systems. The E-Class introduced many of these, with the current S-Class actually trailing on Mercedes’ most advanced assistance and autonomous driving features. But that is set to change soon. The E-Class runs the company’s 4.0-generation equipment, but the…

BENTLEY’S baby sports car has been delayed slightly, but is still set to be approved within the next 12 months, the company’s boss has revealed. The British luxury brand is said to prefer the two-seat sports car, previewed by the EXP10 Speed 6 (right), to a smaller SUV as its next option in expanding its line-up. Bentley boss Wolfgang Dürheimer hinted last year that the new model could get the go-ahead by this summer. But speaking at last week’s VW annual management conference, he told us: “We’re still working on getting the decision. I’d say now that we will make a call on it within the next eight to 12 months.”…