Auto Express 1533

LET’S face it, this year hasn’t exactly been one that’s focused on what we love most about our cars; their ability to put a smile on our faces. So this week we’re delighted to have a fun-packed issue that proves the car makers haven’t forgotten how to keep us grinning behind the wheel. And that’s exactly what we’ve been doing with some of the best hot hatchbacks we’ve ever driven. The joy of turning what is otherwise a run-of-the-mill hatch into something that can thrill on even the most mundane trip to the shops (and then handle the groceries when you get there, too) is something we Brits have been enjoying for years. So it’s great to finally get the latest Renault Sport Mégane on to UK roads against two…

Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler “If the new Vision E doesn’t have a range of 300 miles we should not bring it to market”ALAIN FAVEY Skoda marketing boss SKODA’S history of producing hot RS versions of its mainstream models will spread into its future electric vehicles, Auto Express can reveal. Skoda’s first all-electric car will be a production version of the Vision E concept revealed at the 2017 Frankfurt motor show and due on sale at the end of 2020. It’ll be based on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB electric car platform, which will first appear on the VW I.D. hatchback. Skoda’s board member for sales and marketing, Alain Favey, told us: “There will be electric versions of vRS – eRS. “The logic is the same – it’s not about performance as such. Our…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods BMW’S all-new 8 Series Convertible isn’t due to be officially revealed until the middle of next year, but these exclusive spy shots obtained by Auto Express show the car in all its glory. The German brand confirmed plans for a new 8 Series family last year; the Coupé was the first model to be shown at the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race last month. These spy shots reveal that BMW is wasting no time in getting the next member of the 8 Series line-up into its showrooms. Eagle-eyed Auto Express reader Iain Pollo spotted the car being driven around Loch Assynt in Scotland. It’s not the first time the Convertible has been spied on the road, but it’s lost the camouflage used by prototypes in the past,…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy THE Toyota Camry hasn’t been seen in British dealers since 2004, but early next year it will return to the UK and a market which is shunning diesel. So the hybrid Camry is well placed to succeed then, and Auto Express has been given the keys to an early prototype. The first thing you notice about the Camry is that it’s not a direct successor to the Avensis (production of which has officially ceased). At 4,885mm, it’s longer than the already-huge Ford Mondeo, a reflection of the fact that this model is a massive sales success in the United States. The 524-litre boot is a decent size, too. The newcomer is based on the Toyota New Global Architecture – the same set of chassis components and common parts…

WE’VE already seen Aston Martin team up with specialists to build a small submarine called Project Neptune and the £1million-plus AM37 powerboat. But the firm’s new project, the Aston Martin Vision Volante Concept, sees it collaborating with Cranfield University and Rolls-Royce to create “a luxury concept aircraft with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities”. Revealed at the 2018 Farnborough Airshow, the craft is purely a near-future vision of personal luxury air travel. The Volante Vision Concept boasts room for three people in its cabin, which is covered by a fighter jet-style canopy. It’s powered by a gas turbine hybrid propulsion system created by Rolls-Royce, plus a tri-rotor propeller set-up. An on-board battery pack lets it do short trips on electric power only. Aston vice-president and chief marketing officer Simon Sproule…

CAR buyers are facing significant delays when ordering new cars as test centres struggle to certify vehicles to new Worldwide Harmonised Light Test Procedure (WLTP) emission and economy tests. All new models introduced to the market from September must be certified according to WLTP, but a number of brands have admitted certification delays are creating supply-chain bottlenecks. The Volkswagen Group says up to 250,000 cars will be delayed in the second half of the year, while Porsche previously scaled back sales due to WLTP delays, and Peugeot has paused production of the 308 GTi hot hatchback until October. A VW spokesman said: “Due to the introduction of the new WLTP test procedure in the Volkswagen Group, we expect an effect of approximately 200,000 to 250,000 vehicles in the second half…