Auto Express 1507

FORD CEO Jim Hackett took centre stage at the Consumer Electronics Show at Las Vegas last week to give his vision for an autonomous future in the world’s increasingly densely populated cities. The tech showcase is becoming more and more important to car companies and their growing number of hi-tech suppliers, and Hackett (above) used his keynote address to introduce us to Ford’s vision of a Living Street. “We can redesign transportation in our cities,” Hackett told us. Ford is clearly pinning a lot on an autonomous future and Hackett proclaimed that his company wants to be a leader. Working with companies like Lyft on autonomous taxis and firms like Postmates and Dominos Pizza on driverless deliveries is a good start, but Ford is not alone. Rival car companies at…

• EXCLUSIVE IMAGES “T-Cross will be based on all-new Polo, but its bigger focus on practicality will mean the newcomer has slightly inflated proportions” • T-Cross could star at Paris in autumn; deliveries by end of year • Would sit below T-Roc, with platform allowing plug-in hybrid Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn VOLKSWAGEN has grand plans for a full range of electric cars in all shapes and sizes, but before they arrive at the beginning of the next decade, the German brand will address the gaping hole in its current SUV line-up. A new baby SUV, called the T-Cross, will arrive in the second half of this year and could make its debut at September’s Paris Motor Show, before going on sale in the UK towards the end of the year. VW has…

NISSAN JUKE (2019) SECOND generation of Nissan’s Juke arrives early next year. The SUV will be sticking with its divisive but distinctive style. DS 3 CROSSBACK (2019) AIMED at the more premium end of the market, the DS 3-based SUV will be the French brand’s first foray into the class. SUZUKI JIMNY (2019) AN all-new Jimny model will retain its focus on being a rugged, utilitarian and distinctive offering in the market. MERCEDES GLA (2019) SECOND-generation GLA will be based on new A-Class, which means radical cabin and plug-in hybrid tech for the first time. SKODA SMALL SUV (2019) CZECHS’ smallest SUV will sit below the Karoq and be a direct rival for new VW. LEXUS UX (2020) UX concept (above) showed Lexus’s intent to bring a new baby SUV…

• OFFICIAL Andy_Pringle@dennis.co.uk @AndyMoshPringle AFTER numerous teasers and leaked images, Mercedes has revealed full details of its new G-Class. According to the brand, the latest version of its iconic SUV is more comfortable, more spacious and more capable on and off the road. What will be immediately obvious is that Mercedes’ designers have hardly tinkered with the looks of the company’s longest-standing model. The G-Class (also known as the G-Wagen) has been on sale in pretty much the same form since 1979. It enjoyed its best year of registrations last year; and uniquely, more AMG G 63s are sold than other versions. This latest model – which made its public debut at the Detroit Motor Show – keeps many of its most famous features. That includes the characteristic door handles,…

MERCEDES-AMG has bridged the gap between its hottest 63 variants and Mercedes’ standard models with a new ‘53-series’ model line-up. Featuring 48V mild-hybrid tech, the new engines will be added to the range later this year. The new motor designation will be introduced on the latest CLS saloon (right), plus the E-Class Coupé and Cabriolet range. All three models use a brand new 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine, featuring two turbos: a traditional exhaust gas charger, and a new 48V electric compressor, the latter a Mercedes first. The new motor develops 429bhp and 520Nm of torque, with an ‘EQ Boost’ electric starter-generator able to add 21bhp and 250Nm of torque when moving off or to fill in the power gap until the turbocharger has spooled up. The result, Mercedes claims, is…

• OFFICIAL Andy_Pringle@dennis.co.uk @AndyMoshPringle THE iconic Land Rover Defender went out of production two years ago, but it’s not quite dead yet. To mark the company’s 70th anniversary this year, it’s launching the fastest and most powerful version it’s ever produced. The Defender Works V8 is a special model from the Land Rover Classic division, limited to just 150 examples. Starting at £150,000 – or £45,000 more than a Range Rover V8 Autobiography – it’s the first V8 Defender that Land Rover has produced for 20 years. The Works V8 is a comprehensively re-engineered Collector’s Edition that features a 400bhp 5.0-litre naturally aspirated V8; a far cry from the 120bhp four-cylinder diesel engine traditionally offered. Paired with an eight-speed ZF auto box that includes a sports mode, it will fire…