Auto Express 1642

CHOICE: we all want options when it comes to choosing our next car, be it a cheap second-hand runabout or the latest high-tech super-saloon. And yet there are plenty who have written off the current, stillfledgling electric car market as simply too prescriptive, with too few options in too few bodystyles. They may have had a point, truth be told. But this issue shows how quickly the car manufacturers are picking apart this resistance, either by introducing all-new EVs or further honing existing electrified vehicles. First up, there’s the Skoda Enyaq, a family-friendly SUV that looks set to offer all the practicality we’ve come to expect from the VW-owned Czech brand, but sports a state-of-the-art, pure-electric powertrain. Then there’s Porsche, which has ramped up the revised Panamera with not only…

Steve Fowler Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler AFTER 63 years and more than six million sales, it’s time for only the third generation of Fiat 500. This time, though, the new model will only be available as an electric vehicle – which seems apt for the world’s most fashion-conscious city car. And Auto Express has been to the 500’s home in Turin to get an early drive in a prototype of the new model. It’s a welcome return home to Fiat’s famous Mirafiori factory for the 500 – the result of a multi-million-Euro investment in the plant that backs onto Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ headquarters in Turin. The streets of the famous Italian city are ideal to test the new 500 on, too. But first Klaus Busse, head of design for Fiat, Abarth, Lancia,…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy THIS is Skoda’s first bespoke electric car, the Enyaq, which will lead the Czech manufacturer into new territory when it lands in UK dealers in early 2021. The Enyaq is, in effect, the sister vehicle to the forthcoming VW ID.4. Like that car, it sits on the VW Group’s latest all-electric platform, MEB, which has been designed to maximise the packaging and efficiency benefits that come with electric cars. The Enyaq is a 4,648mm-long SUV, so it’s about 50mm shorter than Skoda’s flagship offering, the Kodiaq. But the Enyaq’s wheelbase is 2,765mm, just 26mm shorter than the Kodiaq’s, reflecting how the engineers have reduced the front overhang to help free up extra cabin space. While the car is being launched as a regularly shaped SUV, a more rakish…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn THIS is the all-new Rolls-Royce Ghost, the second generation of the British firm’s most successful ever model. Rolls says it launched the Ghost in 2009 in response to younger customers who wanted a model that was slightly ‘smaller’ and less ‘ostentatious’. It went on to become the biggest-selling model in the company’s 116-year history. This new version is completely new from the ground up, switching to Rolls’ new aluminium space frame architecture that also underpins the latest Phantom and Cullinan SUV. Despite buyers’ initial wishes for a smaller model, the new Ghost is larger than the car it replaces. Overall length has grown by 89mm, now measuring 5,635mm, while its width has increased by 30mm to 1,978mm. Only one engine option is available under the bonnet: a 563bhp…

CATALYTIC converter theft has risen more than sixfold in a year, as the emission-busting parts they contain are coveted for their precious metals. There were just 2,000 incidents of catalytic converter theft in 2018, a figure that skyrocketed to 13,000 last year, police data obtained by BBC Radio 5 Live has revealed, largely because of the metals’ rising prices on commodity markets. Crooks have become so brazen in their antics that a number of videos have emerged on social media showing cars being jacked up and catalytic converters being cut off with angle grinders in broad daylight. NHS workers’ cars have also been targeted as staff leave them unattended for long periods during their shifts. Catalytic converters contain metals including rhodium, platinum and palladium, with hybrid cars particularly at risk…

THIS is the new Lister Stealth, a car that its maker claims is Britain’s fastest and most powerful SUV. The Stealth is based on the Jaguar F-Pace SVR, but Lister has increased power to 666bhp and torque to 881Nm, a 22 per cent boost over the standard car. As a result the Stealth can accelerate from 0-60mph in 3.6 seconds and go on to a top speed of 195mph. The hike in power and performance has been made possible through new supercharger pulleys, a custom-built intercooler, revised induction and the use of Lister’s proprietary enginemanagement software. The Stealth also sports handmade bodywork modifications designed to aid aerodynamics and cooling. Just 100 cars will be built, costing £109,950 each. “Lister has increased F-Pace SVR’s power to 666bhp”…