Auto Express 1522

HOW many customers know where their cars are built? Some of the UK’s most popular new models are produced and shipped from all four corners of the globe; for example, the Mercedes C-Class and Volkswagen Polo are made in South Africa, while the Vauxhall Mokka X makes its way from Bupyeong, South Korea. In fact, around only 15 per cent of the cars sold in this country are made here. You’d have to assume, then, that the vast majority of buyers don’t particularly mind, so long as their cars are built to last. But would customers care if their cars were ‘Made in China’? The label will always carry negative connotations in the eyes of some people, but this is a completely outdated assumption that I witnessed first hand during…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy “Mokka will have the option of an all-electric edition, based on the e-CMP version of the architecture” VAUXHALL is about to undergo a major range revamp under its new owner, PSA, with a fresh Corsa due within the next 18 months. And soon after the supermini’s arrival there will be another key debut: the second generation of the Vauxhall Mokka X. Due in 2020, the Mokka will switch to the same PSA platform as the likes of the forthcoming new Peugeot 208 and the DS 3 Crossback, as well as the next version of Vauxhall’s Corsa. The future of the Mokka model had been called into question after the PSA takeover – particularly since Vauxhall has recently launched another small SUV, the Crossland X, which already uses hardware…

Essentials McLaren Senna Price: £750,000 Engine: 4.0-litre twinturbo V8 petrol Power/torque: 789bhp/800Nm Transmission: Seven-speed auto, rear-wheel drive 0-62mph: 2.8 seconds Top speed: 211mph Economy: TBC CO2: TBC ONSALE Sold out McLAREN’S road-legal track day weapon isn’t officially launched until next month, but final testing has nearly finished and Auto Express has driven the validation prototype at Silverstone. The Senna takes performance to the extreme at the expense of the everyday usability you might find in, say, a 720 S. The familiar McLaren 4.0-litre V8 now produces an incredible 789bhp and has to propel just 1,198kg, meaning ferocious acceleration; think 0-62mph in just 2.8 seconds, and 0-124mph in only 6.8 seconds. Top speed is 211mph, and the race-bred Senna develops a huge 800kg of downforce at 155mph. Once you’ve fallen down…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy “The 48V EQ Boost system adds a further 22bhp and up to 250Nm” THIS is the new Mercedes-AMG E 53 4MATIC+, which replaces the E 43 in the line-up as a rapid understudy to the full-blown E 63 and E 63 S models. Available as a saloon and an Estate, the E 53 gets AMG’s take on Mercedes’ latest straight-six petrol engine. The 3.0-litre unit uses 48-volt tech to deliver what the firm calls EQ Boost, a starteralternator that sits between the engine and the gearbox. The engine produces 429bhp and 520Nm, but the EQ Boost system adds a further 22bhp and up to 250Nm; the E 43’s powertrain (with no electrical assistance) produced 396bhp. Both E 53 versions have identical performance figures: 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds (a…

THE forthcoming Mercedes-Maybach SUV will sit on the same platform as the next-generation Mercedes GLS, Auto Express can reveal. It will borrow design elements from the firm’s Ultimate Luxury concept car seen at the Beijing show. The luxury SUV will ditch the concept’s electric drivetrain in favour of a turbo V8 engine, with the possibility of hybrid and full-electric vehicles at a later date. Maybach chief engineer Jürgen Weissinger told Auto Express: “If you look at the next two to five years, we can see for Maybach to have a plug-in. The next five to 10 years, it will be more of a fully electric drivetrain.” He said the SUV will “borrow some elements from the Beijing concept”, but wouldn’t give details of which features would be carried over. Weissinger…

IN addition to new Maybach models (below, left), Mercedes may launch even faster G-Class variants in the future, including a G 63 S, bosses have revealed. Product chief Dr Gunnar Guthenke told us the bespoke platform meant further variants were inevitable. He suggested that dynamic improvements would pave the way for ‘S’ versions, too. Changes to the car’s ladderframe chassis mean the all-new G-Wagen (below) could cope with more power – suggesting an AMG ‘S’ model is on the cards. “Previously, you’d never have had the steering and dynamics for an S,” Guthenke explained. “I am so excited about future modifications.” However, despite the trend for downsizing, a six-cylinder AMG is less likely. Guthenke simply said: “Our customers love the V8.”…