Auto Express 1715

Visit autoexpress.co.uk for all the latest new cars news OF all the supposed experts the Transport Select Committee has spoken to in coming up with its road pricing recommendations, there don’t seem to be any real road users like you and me. I do wish they’d ask. So now we have real recommendations based around us all being tracked for every mile we drive, wherever we are and whatever we’re doing. And as much as there are promises of this being ‘cost neutral’ that might apply to the current government, what about the next administration, or the one after that? I appreciate that there is a big hole in the Treasury’s coffers that will need to be filled, but I’m far from convinced that this is the best solution to…

Visit autoexpress.co.uk for your daily news updates • First edition of Astra to be developed under Stellantis ownership • Features striking new look and option of plug-in hybrid power WITH the other brands in the Stellantis group buzzing with fresh product and revitalised options, Vauxhall badly needs to mark its identity with the latest Astra. The current generation of Corsa is, after all, a car created on the fly, in the wake of the takeover of the old British name and its stablemate Opel. Its bigger brother, on the other hand, has had time to mature in-house – time for the engineers to take full advantage of the Stellantis tech. As we prepare for our first taste of the new Astra, though, it’s clear that this is indeed a more…

sean_carson@autovia.co.uk • Sleek new compact SUV heralds changes at Italian firm • Sporty handling, new tech and plug-in hybrid drive feature “Plug-in powertrain comprises a 1.3-litre engine, 15.5kWh battery and rear-mounted e-motor for a total of 271bhp” AFTER an initial delay due to Alfa Romeo’s new CEO stating the car needed extra development, the Italian brand has unveiled its new Tonale compact SUV. In a first for Alfa, it will be available with plug-in hybrid power when it goes on sale in April, three years on from its concept debut. In Europe the Tonale will also be available with more affordable hybrid tech, while the brand has placed a big focus on improving quality, infotainment and connectivity, and the plug-in hybrid model’s performance – all areas for improvement identified by…

Q Can the platform accept fully electric powertrains? If so, could we see a Tonale EV in the future? A “The first answer is yes, it can in terms of technical capability. We have kept that viable. We will decide whether to introduce the full BEV variant on the market depending on the conditions. Being a global vehicle, we will let the market inform whether there is actually the need for this segment. Based on that, we will decide whether to introduce a full BEV version.” Q What about a high-performance Quadrifoglio halo model? Is this also a possibility for the Tonale? A “Yes, we have the capability to do that as well, in terms of power, platform, suspension and steering – we are ready at a level that would…

Chris_Rosamond@autovia.co.uk “Dynamic road pricing will be able to charge drivers different amounts at busy periods” TAXES on petrol and diesel could soon be scrapped alongside Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), with motorists instead paying taxes based on where and when they drive. That’s the recommendation of the influential Transport Select Committee of MPs in its report on road pricing, released at the start of February. It calls for a system of ‘dynamic tax charges’, based around a telematics system that logs details of every journey that individuals make by car. They call the proposed system ‘dynamic’, because it will be able to charge drivers different amounts at busy periods or in areas where traffic is to be discouraged. Rates will also differ according to the type of vehicle being driven, and…

Department for Transport/Treasury THE Treasury is responsible for taxation, but the Department for Transport (DfT) is driving the switch from petrol and diesel to EVs. As such, the report recommends that the two departments work closely on a roads pricing project. “The Government has committed to ensuring that motoring tax revenues keep pace with the changes brought about by the switch to electric vehicles, whilst keeping the transition affordable for consumers,” a Treasury spokesman told us. “We will respond to the Committee’s recommendations in full in due course.” The DfT declined to comment, but it’s thought the Government will be supportive of the recommendations given by the Transport Committee. The Times newspaper recently reported that Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is in favour of road pricing, and that a…