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THERE’S no doubt that this decade will see huge change, not only in the cars we drive (or get driven in if fully autonomous models do actually make it on to our streets), but also the way we buy them. While the car makers themselves are changing rapidly to embrace new technology and meet consumer and legislative demands, dealers are going to have to adapt to the different ways we want to buy. One thing that’s impressed me about the fast-changing car industry is its new-found desire to listen, especially to its customers. And let’s be honest, it hasn’t done the greatest job of that in the past. So here’s your chance to make a difference, not only to the cars that we’ll all be driving in the coming years,…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk ● Sharp-looking eighth-generation hot hatch to be unveiled ● Forms part of extended range of performance-focused Golfs “VW flirted with the idea of a mild-hybrid GTI, but new car will stick with a four-cylinder petrol turbo” VOLKSWAGEN is in the midst of a mass EV offensive, but the German firm hasn’t forgotten about one of its most legendary models, the Golf GTI. Engineers are busy applying the finishing touches to the next-generation hot hatchback ahead of its anticipated unveiling in the coming months. The GTI has been around for more than four decades and will be entering its eighth generation; no other hot hatch has such a rich history. Throughout that time, the GTI has undergone endless modifications and upgrades, and the next model will be the most advanced…

GTI MKI The original hot hatch? This skunkworks project involved fewer than 10 VW employees, and wasn’t expected to exceed 5,000 sales. It was a smash hit. GTI MK2 A true mid-eighties classic, the second-gen GTI introduced 16-valve power for the first time – but stayed with carburettors instead of fuel injection. GTI MK3 No longer the beefiest Golf in the range (the VR6 outgunned it), the Mk3 GTI still packed 150bhp, thanks to a switch from 1.8 litres to 2.0 litres. It felt heavy, though. GTI MK4 The over-engineered and weighty Mk4 Golf wasn’t the greatest base for making a hot hatchback. Even a turbocharged motor couldn’t save it. GTI MK5 Fifth-generation GTI was a stunning return to form, thanks to its punchy, rev-happy 2.0 turbo motor and an…

Ford Focus ST Power: 276bhp 0-62mph: 5.7sec Price: from £32,495 THE Focus has a reputation as the best-driving family hatchback, and that translates well into its ST version. It manages to mix raw pace and handling agility with a sophisticated ride, so it’ll be a key target for the VW. Renault Mégane R.S. Power: 276bhp 0-62mph: 5.8sec Price: from £27,995 ANOTHER hot hatch icon, Renaultsport’s take on the Mégane has evolved into a car that offers shattering pace and track day-friendly handling – but its suspension does feel firmer than many of its rivals’. Hyundai i30 N Power: 271bhp 0-62mph: 6.1sec Price: from £25,995 THE i30 N is Hyundai’s first proper attempt at a hot hatchback – but you’d never know it. A gutsy turbo engine, oodles of driving modes…

Luke_Wilkinson@dennis.co.uk ● Small model takes on Juke ● Electric 4WD in pipeline JEEP has wasted no time in making use of the new partnership between FCA and PSA by starting development on a new ‘ultra-compact’ SUV that will be pitched as a more rugged alternative to the likes of the Nissan Juke and Volkswagen T-Cross. And Auto Express can reveal that it’s going to be offered as a fully electric vehicle, too. Senior Jeep officials have confirmed to us that the as-yet-unnamed model will be in showrooms by 2022. The small SUV is being developed with European markets in mind, because the segment is one of the fastest growing in a region where Jeep still sees significant scope for higher sales. When quizzed about the vehicle’s brief and styling, Marco…

OPINION Deputy Editor, Auto Express ON the face of it, Jeep is a massive opportunity for the newly formed PSA/FCA group – and at the same time, a considerable challenge. Cars like this new baby SUV are actually fairly easy to envisage – as long as Jeep’s engineers are given the time and resources to make ‘trail-rated’ editions that do enough to retain the brand’s hardcore off-road credibility, that is. We can also see how a similar approach could yield at least two new models spun off PSA’s electrified EMP2 platform. And they could be more relevant than ever to European customers. However, that base won’t be big enough to support Jeep’s larger and more extreme models. And that means that PSA/FCA will need, at some point, to bite the bullet…