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FOR most of us, Vauxhall is still a great British brand that, in the Astra and Vivaro, still makes great British vehicles in the UK. But over the past few years – well, quite some years, if we’re honest – the company has lost its way. Ask many people what the brand stands for and they’d struggle to tell you. Some cars have been pretty good, some not so. You might find it strange for the managing director of Vauxhall to agree with those comments, but that’s pretty much what Stephen Norman said when we met up this week. Norman has been in the job five months and already made his mark by terminating the contracts of his dealers and refranchising. So when he invited me to meet up, it…

• Digital dials and MMI touchscreen lead technology upgrades • Diesel power axed in favour of choice of turbo petrol engines Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn AUDI’S smallest car has been a big success for the brand, clocking up more than 830,000 sales since its launch back in 2011. Now there’s an all-new A1, promising more technology and improved practicality, and it goes on sale in showrooms next month. The new A1, now available only as a five-door Sportback, is based on the same platform as the VW Polo and SEAT Ibiza. It’s longer, wider and lower than the car it replaces and will be produced by SEAT at the Spanish brand’s factory in Martorell. The second-generation A1 comes in at 4,030mm long, 1,740mm wide and 1,410mm tall; that’s 50mm lower than its…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn THE BMW 8 Series has returned to the German firm’s line-up after a near-20-year absence. A two-door coupé will be the first of three bodystyles that will make up the range, which will grow to include a Convertible as well as a four-door Gran Coupé by the end of next year. The newcomer is set to rival everything from a Mercedes S-Class Coupé to an Aston Martin DB11, and BMW believes it has created a model with a broader range of abilities than any of its competitors. It combines the kind of luxury that buyers expect of a flagship saloon with the performance of a sports car. And the 8 Series isn’t just a shortened version of the 7 Series, bosses claim. The coupé gets a unique chassis,…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn “It won’t be sold to everyday consumers, but instead to businesses such as taxi firms and delivery companies” WITHIN the next five years the VW Group is aiming to have a fully autonomous Level 5 ‘mobility service’ on the market. It won’t be sold to everyday consumers, but instead to businesses such as taxi firms and delivery companies who want more efficient transport services. The SEDRIC is a working concept of what the VW Group is planning to sell – and Auto Express has been for an exclusive passenger ride to see how the project is developing. The car retains much of the look of the design concept that was previewed at last year’s Geneva Motor Show. Visually, the only real change is the removal of the wheel…

THE K-Byte Concept has been revealed by fledgling Chinese start-up Byton, in Shanghai, showcasing the brand’s vision of a saloon that is set to hit production in three years’ time. The K-Byte is the second concept Byton has revealed this year; the firm took the wraps off the Concept SUV at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) back in January. That vehicle – which shares a platform with the K-Byte – has now been renamed the M-Byte Concept. “By adopting this naming strategy, Byton looks to highlight our brand DNA of ‘next-generation smart device’,” said Byton co-founder Carsten Breitfeld. The K-Byte Concept will measure 4.95 metres long, 1.95m wide and 1.5m tall, with a three-metre wheelbase. That makes it shorter but wider than a Tesla Model S. The Chinese brand is…

TOYOTA has confirmed its intentions to build a McLaren P1-rivalling hybrid hypercar in the “near future” with this: the 986bhp GR Super Sport. At last weekend’s Le Mans 24 Hours, the company announced plans to make a production version of the concept variant that was first displayed at the Tokyo Auto Salon earlier this year. The GR shares its powertrain with the Toyota TS050 Hybrid LMP1 Le Mans racer. Both have a 2.4-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine and two electric motors. The all-wheel-drive race car charges a lithium ion battery through two motor generator units, one housed in each front wheel. The GR isn’t the only upcoming hypercar to use a race-derived power unit; the Mercedes-AMG Project ONE uses the same 1.6-litre turbo V6 hybrid as the manufacturer’s Formula One…