Auto Express 1768

TIMES are changing fast in the car business and nowhere is that more obvious than at Ford. It used to be Britain’s favourite car brand – and very much thought of as British, thanks to its once-vast UK manufacturing footprint – but Ford no longer makes cars here and now it won’t be engineering them here, either. Of the 1,300 job losses just announced in the UK, the vast majority will come from the firm’s engineering base at Dunton in Essex. So we’re not only going to be saying farewell to Ford’s Fiesta and eventually the Focus, too; it’s also a sad goodbye to many hugely talented workers. This is a seismic shift in the brand and what it stands for, especially in the UK. Ford is focused on an…

Yousuf_Ashraf@autovia.co.uk @ashrafoncars ● Plans are in place to turn Insignia into a high-riding crossover ● All-electric powertrain will be optimised for 450 miles of range LAST year the UK bade farewell to the Vauxhall Insignia. The once-popular family car suffered dwindling sales before being discontinued in the wake of the SUV boom and a much-heralded push towards electrification. But Auto Express has learned that Vauxhall is planning for the Insignia’s return with a radical class-busting replacement by the middle of the decade. As our exclusive images preview, the new model is likely to take the form of a high-riding, sleekly profiled crossover. Vauxhall Vice President of Design Mark Adams has revealed that in response to the SUV trend, the next Insignia will abandon the more traditional hatchback design. Speaking exclusively…

1975-1981 Cavalier Mk1 VAUXHALL’S first Cavalier was a smash hit. Based on the second-generation Opel Ascona, and available as a saloon or coupé, it scored well against the ageing Mk3 Ford Cortina, and demand outstripped supply in the early months. 1981-1988 Cavalier Mk2 SwITCH from rear to front-wheel drive didn’t dent the Cavalier’s popularity. A five-door hatchback and an estate joined the saloon, while the SRi performance variant had up to 130bhp and a top speed of 120mph. 1988-1995 Cavalier Mk3 Two-door and estate models were binned, leaving only a five-door hatch and four-door saloon. This generation introduced ABS and airbags, plus a high-performance version with 200bhp and four-wheel drive. 1995-2002 Vectra B THE Vectra name had been used by Opel since 1988, but Vauxhall didn’t use it until the…

sean_carson@autovia.co.uk ● New X5 M and X6 M Competition SUVs revealed ● First M division models to feature 48-volt mild-hybrid technology “To match the performance-focused mechanical improvements, BMW’s design team has given the two new M models an aggressive look” HOT on the heels of the updated X5 and X6 (Issue 1,766), BMW has officially unveiled its X5 M and X6 M performance SUVs, both of which will be available in Competition form only. This pairing marks the first time that BMW has offered 48-volt mild-hybrid technology on any of its M division models, and the small electrical boost supports a new 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine. Total power stands at 626bhp for both models, while the hottest X5 and X6 also produce a total of 750Nm of torque, available…

Steve_Fowler@autovia.co.uk @stevefowler ● Qashqai rival is Omoda’s first UK car ● Full range to come from Chinese brand ANOTHER new name will be arriving in UK showrooms in the early part of 2024, when the Omoda 5 will spearhead a range of new models coming from Chinese car maker Chery. Although Omoda won’t be familiar to UK buyers, the name Chery may well ring bells, thanks to its joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover in China. Despite only being founded in 1997, Chery is already the biggest exporter of cars in the country. The Omoda 5 is a mid-size SUV set to rival the likes of the Nissan Qashqai. It makes use of Chery’s own T1X platform and will initially be powered by a 1.6-litre TGDI petrol engine delivering 194bhp…

FORD will cut 1,300 jobs in the UK as part of a European restructuring that will see around 3,800 employees laid-off as the brand focuses on its push towards electrification. General Manager Ford Model e in Europe, Martin Sander announced the lay-offs recently, explaining that most of the losses will come from product development: “By 2025 we plan to resize our European engineering footprint, resulting in approximately 2,800 fewer jobs.” The changes are driven by the move to EV powertrains, leading to drastically reduced complexity in Ford’s vehicles and operations. The brand’s deal with Volkswagen for technology sharing of the latter’s MEB platform will result in Ford’s engineering operation being increasingly focused on ‘top hat’ bodies placed on top of these underpinnings. “Of these 2,800 engineering jobs, 1,700 will come…