Auto Express 1583

AS a title that follows the news agenda, we make no excuses for the amount of space we dedicate to electrified cars in Auto Express. It’s where we’re headed, whether we like it or not. Or at least that’s what our government keeps telling us. That being the case, I’m not alone in airing my frustration that our legislators aren’t doing more to encourage both British expertise in the area of electric vehicles and more people to buy them. One man who is clearly frustrated is Jaguar Land Rover CEO, Ralf Speth (above). I know from conversations we’ve had in the past that he feels more should be done on charging infrastructure, for example. And speaking at the announcement that JLR was investing hundreds of millions of pounds on building…

IF you’re still one of those who doubts the future of electric mobility, then Volkswagen’s forthcoming ID.3 hatchback should be enough to push you over the line. That’s our conclusion after a short drive in a prototype of the new model around Wolfsburg recently. And just to confirm this opinion, we brought along a current e-Golf to help size up the first offering from VW’s pure-electric ID. sub-brand. To recap, the new ID.3 will be offered with a choice of three battery sizes, giving 205, 261 or 342 miles of range. And the entry point of the line-up should start from around £26,000 or less. We begin our assessment by revisiting the current VW pure-electric hatch – but the e-Golf already feels like it’s old tech. While it serves a…

Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler ● Jag XJ will be the first to arrive in 2021 ● All three new models use MLA platform “The new Crossover is some of design director Gerry McGovern’s finest work yet” JAGUAR Land Rover has confirmed a multi-million pound investment in its Castle Bromwich plant to build electric cars (see panel, Page 12), and Auto Express can exclusively reveal the three models that will start rolling down production lines from early 2021. The biggest news is the first Land Rover product to be built at Castle Brom – and a ground-breaking one at that. The new Range Rover Crossover (it definitely won’t be called Road Rover, despite speculation) will follow an all-electric Jaguar XJ and Jaguar J-Pace SUV. The Crossover, previewed in our exclusive image, will use…

JLR has safeguarded thousands of jobs and committed to building electric vehicles in the UK with its multi-billion-pound investment at the Castle Bromwich site. Britain’s biggest car maker has suffered a series of setbacks over the past 12 months, axing jobs and investment to offset dwindling sales, in part because of JLR’s reliance on diesel, which has fallen out of favour with consumers. The plant at Castle Bromwich will be completely overhauled during the summer. “This facility will give us flexibility to develop EVs and hybrid vehicles alongside our diesel cars, giving customers even greater choice,” JLR’s CEO Ralf Speth said. Asked about the size of the investment JLR had made at the site, Speth added: “If you introduce new architectures it’s not millions but billions, spread over a number of…

James_Batchelor@dennis.co.uk @JRRBatchelor ● Zero-emissions model on sale now ● Prices start from £24,400 THIS is the MINI Electric – a car that the British firm says is as groundbreaking as the model that heralded the brand’s reinvention back in 2001. Launched on the 60th anniversary of the original 1959 Mini, it’s the brand’s first mass-produced all-electric vehicle. It will compete against models such as the Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa-e and is on sale now, priced from £24,400. First deliveries are due to begin in March 2020. While you’ll find a Cooper S badge on the boot, the new car is actually called MINI Electric in the UK. The Cooper S badge is used to denote the level of the car’s performance. Under the bonnet there’s a 181bhp electric motor…

AHEAD of the MINI Electric arriving in showrooms next March, Auto Express was invited to try an early prototype, which we reported on in Issue 1,565. Aligning the Electric with a Cooper S in terms of performance was immediately obvious on the move. “There’s the typically strong instant EV shove as you pull away from rest,” we reported. “As speed builds up, we start throwing the Electric into the sort of direction changes that conventionally powered MINIs love. And in the most part, it delivers the same experience.” The extra bulk of the batteries adds around 130kg to the car’s weight, but “the chassis is still remarkably agile” and “the front end is quick to respond to steering inputs”. The ride is a little firmer as a result of the…