Auto Express 1684

ELECTRIFICATION is happening in the car industry – but it remains a bit of a dirty word among true petrolheads. So there will be mixed emotions at the reveal this week of Ferrari’s 296 GTB, a mid-engined supercar that mixes V6 grunt with the ability to go up to 15 miles on electric power alone. The Maranello brand isn’t alone in making this sort of move, of course; the 296 GTB already has an obvious rival, in fact, in the shape of McLaren’s Artura. Even so, this will be, for some, a watershed moment, as one of the most emotional car brands in the world bows its head to legislation and the environmental lobby. But is that really the case? I’ll admit that as soon as the 296 GTB was…

Luke_Wilkinson@autovia.co.uk @LT_Wilkinson ● New V6 engine and e-motor make 819bhp ● 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds and 205mph+ top speed FERRARI has revealed the 296 GTB, a new mid-engined supercar with V6 hybrid power, and a rival for the upcoming McLaren Artura. The 296 GTB is bristling with technology designed to deliver stunning performance with as small an environmental impact as possible. The plug-in hybrid system uses a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 in conjunction with a small battery that feeds a single electric motor. There’s a combined total of 819bhp and 740Nm of torque from the set-up, which Ferrari says is enough for a 0-62mph time of 2.9 seconds and a top speed of more than 205mph. The V6, which without electrical assistance produces 654bhp, is a clean-sheet design with a 120-degree…

John_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk @johnmcilroy ● Small SUV based on same platform as Yaris ● Front and four-wheel drive versions offered TOYOTA likes to argue that, in some ways, it was responsible for the mainstream adoption of ‘off-roaders’, thanks to its original RAV4. And yet the brand has been slow producing a smaller, supermini-based SUV. Only now, more than a decade after the launch of the original Nissan Juke, do we have a serious offering in the class from Toyota. But make no mistake, the Yaris Cross is a proper entry indeed. Based on the firm’s TNGA architecture, the small SUV has a hybrid-only powertrain that feels right in tune with today’s buying trends. It’s available with four-wheel drive, but in mechanical terms, that is really the only choice buyers have to make…

James_Brodie@autovia.co.uk @jimmybrods ● All-new 11th-generation Honda Civic hatchback revealed ● New model will be built in Japan, following UK plant closure HONDA has revealed the new 11th-generation Civic hatchback. It arrives next autumn as the first Civic sold in the UK, but not built here, since 1994. Production of the Mk10 model will cease next month and with it Honda will end 36 years of manufacturing in Britain and the EU, with the closure of its Swindon plant. This new Civic will be offered exclusively with a hybrid powertrain, as part of Honda’s mission to electrify all of its European models by 2022. This new Mk11 car will be built in Japan or the USA, likely using an evolution of the Mk10 car’s platform, and Honda has confirmed that the…

PORSCHE has revealed a new range-topping Cayenne SUV, the Turbo GT. Auto Express has already driven a prototype (Issue 1,679) but Porsche has now confirmed full specs. The car’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 produces 631bhp and 850Nm, with 0-62mph dispatched in 3.3 seconds thanks to a faster-shifting eight-speed automatic box. A titanium sports exhaust is standard, while the Turbo GT comes only in Cayenne Coupé form, featuring four seats. It rides up to 17mm lower on specially tuned air suspension, while the anti-roll control, adaptive dampers, steering and rear-axle steering have all been retuned. Special Pirelli tyres wrap 22-inch wheels and carbon-ceramic brakes are standard. On sale now, the Turbo GT is priced from £143,910. Deliveries begin in the autumn.…

SKODA has laid out its product strategy for the next decade, confirming it will launch three new electric cars by 2030. Speaking at Skoda’s Next Level Strategy 2030 event, CEO Thomas Schäfer said that all three EVs will be smaller and cheaper than the recently launched Enyaq iV electric SUV. By targeting affordable electric cars, Skoda hopes to cover between 50 and 70 per cent of the market by 2030. Earlier this year, Skoda filed a trademark for the ‘Elroq’ name, possibly pointing to a smaller electric SUV similar in size to the Karoq. All three EVs are likely to be based on a version of the Volkswagen Group’s dedicated MEB electric platform, with at least one on the MEB Entry architecture that is being developed for supermini-sized electric cars.…