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TAKE a look at this week’s front cover and see if you can notice something a little unusual. I can’t remember when we last had a front cover without an all-electric car on there! Sure, we’ve got hybrids, but nothing that’s pure electric. That will come as a relief to some – and we know there are plenty of petrolheads who just aren’t turned on by electric cars. The inexorable march of electrification continues, but cars like the new BMW M2 (above) show that manufacturers haven’t stopped developing petrol engines just yet – and the M2 looks like it’s going to be another incredible M car. When it comes to managing the gentle switch from petrol (and diesel – yes, still) to electric, there are two car makers who are…

John_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk @johnmcilroy • Second generation of style-focused Toyota due to arrive next year • EV version could join the petrol and hybrid models in new line-up TOYOTA is pushing ahead with its range of bZ fully electric vehicles, but the firm is also preparing to extend the life of one of its most popular combustion-engined models when a fresh generation of C-HR arrives in the second half of next year. Designed and engineered in Europe, the style-focused SUV-crossover has been a smash hit with customers worldwide since it was introduced in 2016. And even with Toyota targeting 3.5 million global sales of electric vehicles annually by 2030, there’s still plenty of space in its portfolio for cars featuring combustion power. One of the current C-HR’s biggest selling points has been…

John_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk @johnmcilroy • Retuned M3 engine produces 453bhp for 4.2-second 0-62mph BMW’S M division recently announced its first plug-in hybrid model, the controversial 2.7-tonne XM SUV. But the renowned performance experts haven’t given up on pure driver’s cars just yet – and they’re throwing everything at what could be their defining small coupé, the new M2. The fastest version of the new 2 Series Coupé is arguably one of the main reasons why it was kept on BMW’s rear-drive CLAR platform, in contrast with sibling models such as the 1 Series that use fundamentally front-wheel-drive components. The M2 has grown in any case; it’s now 4,575mm long, just over 11cm up on the previous M2, but also 16mm wider and 11mm lower. The appearance is in keeping with the previous…

Alastair_Crooks@autovia.co.uk @AllieCrooks • Petrol engines now electrified • Extra range for plug-in hybrid THE Mercedes A-Class was Britain’s fourth best-selling car in 2021, but has dropped out of the top 10 so far this year. So the brand is giving the hatchback and saloon plenty of tweaks, inside and out, in a bid to freshen it up and boost sales. The exterior changes are modest, even by mid-life facelift standards. The front bumper gets a new lower grille opening and the main grille has been reshaped, while the bonnet gains two bulges for some added aggression. There is a new selection of alloy wheels up to 19 inches in size, plus a new diffuser and rear brake-light unit. Inside, the current car’s pairing of a seven-inch instrument panel and a…

JAGUAR is preparing to go fully electric, so its F-Type sports car has a little over a year left to run. The British firm has now released its final update for the car, rolled into a new flagship version that has been called F-Type 75. Designed as an homage to 75 years of sports car production, the F-Type 75 and F-Type R 75 stick with their existing V8 engines, producing 444bhp and 567bhp respectively. But both the coupé and convertible models get unique exterior styling tweaks, including a Giola Green paint job, different alloy wheels and subtle badging on the front wings. The new editions replace the V8 and V8 R in the line-up, which will also still include the four-cylinder F-Type. The rear-drive V8 75 coupé will cost £78,330,…

THE rollout of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) was based on false data, the Department for Transport (DfT) has admitted. The schemes – which intended to boost walking and cycling, and were backed by £225million of Government funding – were justified by a DfT report entitled Minor Road Traffic Estimates. The report suggested traffic on minor London roads had increased by 60 per cent between 2009 and 2019, and by as much as 72 per cent on the capital’s smallest roads. But the DfT has now conducted a technical review of the report, which has revealed no increase in traffic. Across Britain, meanwhile, miles driven on minor roads increased by just 10 per cent over 10 years, rather than by the 26 per cent suggested by the report. Craig Mackinlay, MP for…