Auto Express 1511

WHILE many purists will cry foul when new performance models are launched with a faster, more efficient auto box in place of a manual shift, most car buyers don’t seem to mind at all. Crawling over the latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, we discovered that back in 2012, 506,720 cars were registered with automatic gearboxes (be that standard autos, CVTs or semi-automatics). Five years on and the stats for autos in 2017 have more than doubled to 1,016,516. Sure, over that time, registrations rose, too. But at that rate, it won’t be too long before the sales of autos overtake those of manual cars. Especially as we see a rapid increase in the popularity of hybrid and fully electric cars – all of which are…

• Kona-inspired looks for tech-packed premium seven-seater • UK models to get new engine when they arrive in the autumn James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods “Teaser shot hints at short, raking back window, while inside, Hyundai says new, horizontal-style dash is developed to create a premium feel” AN all-new version of Hyundai’s flagship SUV, the Santa Fe, will be the Korean manufacturer’s headline act at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The marque claims the newcomer is larger, more spacious and safer than the model it replaces, and it will arrive in UK showrooms later in the autumn. It’s a car our spy photographers have spotted several times over the previous 12 months, but more recently Hyundai has been open and official about the latest version of its flagship SUV. These first official…

THE new Santa Fe won’t be Hyundai’s only Geneva show star; an all-electric version of the new Kona compact SUV will also take to the stage. Previewed in this hazy teaser image, it’s the first of three new EVs the brand plans to introduce before 2022; sales of the all-electric Kona will commence in Europe this summer. Hyundai is targeting a maximum range of 292 miles, and promises a ‘fun-to-drive’ character, as well as its latest driver assistance technologies.…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy THE Mercedes C-Class ended 2017 as the UK’s eighth best-selling car overall; now the German brand has revealed the first details on the heavily revised version of the car that will go on sale here in the second half of this year. The C-Class features a range of new infotainment and connectivity, along with fresh engines, but it stays on the same platform as before, so the car’s styling gets a subtle evolution instead of any major changes. There are new bumpers, plus revised headlights and tail-lamps. The standard mix at the front will be halogen lights with LED daytime running lights, but a full-LED set-up will be available as an option. There will also be a couple of possible display configurations in the front cabin. The first…

“As before, the new X4 is based on the X3, but trades some of that car’s practicality for coupé-like styling” Andy_Pringle@dennis.co.uk @AndyMoshPringle WE’RE in the middle of a flood of BMW X-cars. Hot on the heels of last year’s new X3 comes the all-new X4 – and we’ve still got the X7 to come. This is the second generation of the X4 – a rival for the Mercedes GLC Coupé – and, like its predecessor, it’s based on the X3, but trades some of that car’s practicality for coupé-like styling. It’ll be seen in the flesh for the first time at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. Yet as these pictures show, the X4’s genes are obvious from the front, with the grille, bumper and LED headlights all identical to the…

“Nissan’s interiors are set to change dramatically, and soon” NISSAN is set to beef up its interior design budget so future cars can better compete in an increasingly autonomous world where customers will care more about their cabins than in the past. The new boss of the brand’s European design centre, Mamoru Aoki, told Auto Express that Nissan’s interiors are set to change dramatically, and soon. “From 2020 it will be the real autonomous and electric vehicle era, so at that time I think we will not continue the current design direction,” he said. “Before, EV competition was small, but now it is much greater, so appearance is more important. Tesla is here already, so we have to compete.” With future customers spending more time not driving they are more…