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Visit autoexpress.co.uk for all the latest new cars THE appointment of Thierry Bolloré as JLR chief executive last summer raised a fair few eyebrows. It came completely out of the blue, not least for Bolloré. “I was about to fly over to New York in a completely different type of business,” he told me this week. “I said, ‘Wow, of course’. With these brands for a car guy – or a mobility person, which is probably more my case – frankly speaking, this is just extraordinary.” You can read more about Bolloré’s product plans for Jaguar and Land Rover on page 12, but while it’s going to take some time to see his changes filter through to the showroom, his Reimagine strategy is already having an impact on the business…

● New-look interior and more technology in larger saloon ● Mild-hybrid engines, plus optional four-wheel steering IT used to take a long time for innovations in the luxury car segment to make their way down any maker’s line-up. But in the case of the new Mercedes C-Class, the process has sped up exponentially. Based on a heavily updated version of the old car’s MRA platform, this newcomer comes with plenty of nods to the new S-Class as it challenges the BMW 3 Series. Perhaps what will resonate most with buyers is the interior, which represents a total revolution over the old model. There’s more than a passing resemblance to the dash of the new S-Class limo, which is based around an entirely new operating concept. The new, portrait-orientated MBUX system…

sean_carson@autovia.co.uk ● RS Torque Splitter for new hyper-hatch ● Features ‘Torque Rear’ drift mode ● 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds AUDI has revealed specifications for its new RS 3, with the brand’s hyper-hatch offering almost 400bhp and a new four-wheel-drive system that features a clever new rear differential with a drift mode. The RS 3 uses Audi’s familiar 2.5-litre turbocharged, five-cylinder petrol engine, producing 395bhp and 500Nm of torque. While torque is up by 20Nm compared with its predecessor, power remains the same. However, Audi has focused on broadening the engine’s power band, with its maximum now produced from 5,600rpm-7,000rpm. The maximum 500Nm torque output is produced from 2,250rpm-5,600rpm and is sent to all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and a new all-wheel-drive system. Combined with launch control,…

WITH Audi racing and development driver Frank Stippler at the wheel of the new RS 3 prototype, the brand’s wealth of engineering detail and technical information is brought to life – and how. Stippler immediately selects the RS Torque Rear mode for the RS Torque Splitter diff to highlight the car’s new-found sense of agility, led by the rear axle. Even from the passenger seat the car seems easy to balance on the throttle, with the engine serving up more than enough power and torque to sustain a slide, with Stippler making very few corrections with the steering wheel to keep the RS 3 arcing gracefully in a drift. However, the new RS Torque Splitter offers more than just the ability to slide around, because in RS Performance mode the…

Steve_Fowler@autovia.co.uk @stevefowler ● New JLR boss reveals luxury price point of great British brand ● Design of new family of Jaguars has already been signed off JAGUAR Land Rover CEO Thierry Bolloré has shone new light on his plans to reinvent Jaguar as a luxury car brand. Bolloré’s ‘Reimagine’ strategy has already revealed plans to reposition Jaguar and take it all-electric with a whole new product range arriving from 2025. But in his first interview since taking charge of JLR last September, Bolloré has told Auto Express that the initial design work for a new family of Jaguars has been completed and that the brand will be competing against Bentley, with prices in the region of £100,000. Auto Express understands that the new Jaguar family is likely to comprise three…

TESLA UK has revealed a police-liveried Model 3 fitted with lights and sirens, which it says will be available to emergency services across the UK for evaluation. Police forces and other fast response services are currently trialling EVs ahead of the Government’s shift to all new-car sales being fully electric by 2035. Tesla has not revealed specifications for this Model 3, but the wheels suggest it is a Performance model, with a 352-mile claimed range and 3.1-second 0-60mph time. The move to trial the Model 3 as an emergency response vehicle in the UK mirrors what has happened in the US, where it has been deployed with several police forces. Tesla has yet to confirm if any UK forces have expressed an interest in the Model 3, but electric police…