Auto Express 1474

LAST week I unwisely chose the Liberal Democrats’ Election manifesto for a bit of bedtime reading. This was a bad idea, as rather than relax me it got me rather irate, plus it contained elements of fantasy more suited to the sort of books I read my young daughters at that time of night. Chief source of my irritation was the suggestion that sales of diesel cars and small vans should be banned in the UK from 2025. The policy suggestion wasn’t entirely unexpected; this is ground that the Lib Dems have been over before. But frankly, it’s an affront on every level. Firstly, the timeframe is particularly fearsome, and unrealistic. It completely fails to acknowledge the effort and investment the industry has put in to produce the latest Euro…

▪ Sharp-looking new Volvo SUV has Jaguar F-Pace in its sights ▪ Shares design and platform with acclaimed XC90 big brother Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler IT’S been a remarkable couple of years for Volvo since the launch of the XC90. That car, along with the S90 saloon and V90 estate, has firmly established the maker as a proper premium brand, battling BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Jaguar and Land Rover. Now it’s the turn of Volvo’s 60-series cars, starting with the XC60 SUV. And if you thought the XC90 had it tough, this car is replacing the best-selling Volvo in history – and it’s up against the current Auto Express Car of the Year, Jaguar’s F-Pace. It also rivals the Audi Q5 and Mercedes GLC. Tough gig. The similarities between the XC60 and XC90…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy SKODA was ahead of the curve when it launched the Yeti, one of the original small family SUVs. But now the market is dominated by the likes of the plusher, larger Nissan Qashqai and the Renault Kadjar, so the Czech manufacturer has gone for a more mature approach (and a change of name) for its new offering, the Karoq. Seen here in official images for the first time, the Karoq is a larger vehicle than the one it replaces. It’s 4,382mm long and 1,841mm wide – figures that are 160mm and almost 50mm up on the Yeti’s dimensions respectively. The Karoq’s wheelbase is 60mm longer, too, at 2,638mm if you choose a front-wheel-drive edition and 2,630mm for four-wheel-drive models. The new Skoda’s wheelbase figures are identical to those…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods VOLKSWAGEN has officially revealed the up! GTI, which makes its debut at the famous Wörthersee GTI festival in Austria this week. We’ve already driven a prototype (see panel, right), and although VW describes this as a “near-production concept car”, it will be almost identical to the hot up! you can buy in the UK next year. Under the bonnet a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine serves up 113bhp and 200Nm of torque. Power is sent to the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox, and the newest, smallest member of Volkswagen’s GTI family can sprint from 0-62mph in 8.8 seconds and will go on to a claimed top speed of 122mph. Volkswagen leaves us in no doubt as to how it sees the new up! GTI – it’s a…

Orange GT86 joins Toyota’s new Club TOYOTA has launched a new GT86 Orange Edition (above) – the first model in a new range known as Club Series. It features bespoke exterior details such as the orange paintwork and black mirrors, while inside black leather and Alcantara seats are offset by contrasting orange stitching. Under the bonnet, Toyota’s 197bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder boxer engine remains unchanged. Prices start from £28,800. Smart traffic lights on trial next year INTELLIGENT traffic lights which will rely on over 2,500 roadside cameras and use technology from driverless cars will be trialled next year. The lights will be able to detect when queues are forming and alternate green light cycles to speed up traffic flow. They can also identify emergency vehicles and help them get through traffic…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn JAGUAR will take lessons learned from its Formula E racing programme to develop a whole range of future electric models – including the possibility of a sports car, according to bosses. Auto Express can reveal that the I-Pace SUV will kickstart the manufacturer’s EV roll-out. Based on completely new electrical architecture, the production version is set to make its public debut at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show. Design director Ian Callum told us at last month’s Shanghai Motor Show: “The [electric] ‘skateboard platform’ is the future, and we have to design a whole range of cars around it and accept what comes.” Jaguar is also working hard on the development of battery tech, targeting increasing efficiency while reducing the unit’s physical size. According to technical design director Wolfgang Ziebart,…