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OF all the motor industry executives I have spoken to over the years, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles boss Sergio Marchionne (above) is by some way the most interesting. He can be brash, outspoken, dismissive, amusing and charmingly charismatic, all in one 30-minute press conference. He was on typical form when I last interviewed him, confirming a Ferrari SUV for 2019 and describing Jeep’s performance in Europe as “lousy” within minutes of each other. He is a far cry from traditional execs, who often talk a lot but say little. Marchionne is leaving his role next year, and filling the boots of such a dominant personality will not be easy. There is FCA’s future direction to contend with, as well, because to these eyes at least, the company has some serious thinking…

• We get behind wheel of world’s most eagerly awaited EV in US • Right-hand-drive versions scheduled to go on sale next year THE Tesla Model 3 is here – sort of. Although shipments technically began in July, the production ramp of the new “affordable” Tesla EV has been slower than CEO Elon Musk had hoped. Last quarter, Tesla delivered just 1,542 Model 3 cars against a reservation list that is several hundred thousand long, and production of right-hand-drive versions isn’t expected to begin until 2019 at the earliest. UK pricing has yet to be announced, too. Despite a brief run in the Model 3 last summer (Issue 1,485), we’ve had to wait until now to get our hands on the new EV for a more thorough test. We borrowed…

“New version of Kia’s Golf rival is longer and wider than the car it replaces” Andy_Pringle@dennis.co.uk @AndyMoshPringle THIS model is Kia’s big star for the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show – the third generation of Ceed, which is due in dealers later this year. The new version of the South Korean manufacturer’s VW Golf rival is longer and wider than the car it replaces, and also has a slightly different name: Cee’d becomes simply Ceed for the Mk3. The car’s styling is also simpler, with a less rounded design that’s intended to make it look more sporty. At the front, there’s a wider version of the company’s signature ‘tiger-nose’ grille, while the air intake is set lower down, and the ‘ice cube’ LED daytime running lights that were exclusive to the…

“We’ve been funding a single cab for the past couple of years and been impressed with its impact on safety” RICHARD LEONARD Head of road safety, Highways England Martin_Saarinen@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer MOTORWAYS and major A-roads in England and Wales will be patrolled by a new set of ‘supercab’ heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) that will help capture motorists breaking the law. Highways England, which manages England’s motorways and major A-roads, has confirmed that it will fund three unmarked HGV cabs following a successful trial. Since April 2015, a single unmarked HGV patrolling the road network has helped police officers across 28 forces pull over 4,176 drivers in relation to 5,039 offences. Nearly two-thirds of the motorists stopped were illegally using a mobile phone. Other offenders included a driver putting toothpaste on to…

A TRIO of brands from the PSA Group, Citroen, Peugeot and Vauxhall, have all revealed new van-based MPVs. The new, third-generation Citroen Berlingo is joined by the Peugeot Rifter (a replacement for the Partner Tepee) and the Vauxhall Combo Life, with all three in showrooms later this year. The new minivans are all based on a modified version of PSA’s EMP2 platform, and distinguish themselves from each other by sporting their respective brands’ latest family faces. Aside from that there’s very little to pick them apart, although the Citroen gets some Airbump bodywork trim. All three will use a combination of PSA 1.2-litre PureTech petrol engines and 1.5-litre BlueHDi diesels, with the option of an eight-speed automatic transmission on the most powerful 128bhp diesel unit. All three cars feature identical…

“Race-bred turbochargers mean that the new Ferrari has about 48bhp more than even the 488 GTB, at 710bhp” John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy THIS is Ferrari’s show-stopper for the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show: the 488 Pista, a new, more focused version of the Italian brand’s mid-engined V8 supercar. The new model – whose name is the Italian for ‘track’ – uses components developed for the 488 Challenge race series, including exhaust manifolds made out of super-alloy Inconel, titanium conrods, a modified crankshaft and flywheel, and carbon-fibre intake plenums, to shave a hefty 90kg from the weight of the regular 488 GTB. That gives the 488 Pista a dry weight of 1,280kg – about the same as an entry-level Ford Focus. But race-bred turbochargers mean that the new Ferrari has about 48bhp more than…