Innholdsfortegnelse for July 7, 2021 i Autocar

Lotus Emira Price Around £60,000 Power 355-395bhp Torque Up to 317lb ft Kerb weight 1405kg 0-62mph Less than 4.5sec Top speed More than 180mph Alpine A110 S Price £56,810 Power 288bhp Torque 236lb ft Kerb weight 1114kg 0-62mph 4.4sec Top speed 161mph Porsche 718 Cayman GTS Price £65,390 Power 395bhp Torque 310lb ft Kerb weight 1405kg 0-62mph 4.5sec Top speed 182mph Lotus Evora GT410 Price £82,900 Power 410bhp Torque 295lb ft Kerb weight 1361kg 0-62mph 4.2sec Top speed 174mph…

INEOS HAS REVEALED the Grenadier 4x4’s ‘hose-it-out’ cabin, crafted in ultra-durable, stain-resistant materials. The fascia is dominated by a flat, centrally mounted panel of high-quality switches and dials that is clearly influenced by aircraft and ship layouts. It is mirrored by a similar panel with configurable, pre-wired auxiliary switches in the roof. The clearly labelled switches are a combination of push and toggle designs, both extremely durable and sufficiently spaced to allow operation by gloved hands. There’s a 12.3in central touchscreen, too, backed up by a rotary dial mounted between the front seats. However, Ineos notes that, in its pursuit of reliability, it uses two-thirds fewer microprocessors than rival 4x4s. The sat-nav, for example, is handled by a smartphone, so its software is always up to date – although an…

THE LONG-MOOTED partnership between Bugatti and EV technology specialist Rimac Automobili is now official, with the two firms becoming a stand-alone entity headquartered in Croatia. The new company, Bugatti Rimac LLC, is 45% owned by Porsche and 55% owned by the newly formed Rimac Group, in which Rimac founder Mate Rimac – who will be CEO – retains a 37% shareholding, with Porsche holding a 24% stake, Hyundai Motor Group 12% and other investors making up the remaining 27%. Rimac’s powertrain, battery and components development arm will be separated out into a new, dedicated Rimac Technology division, which is part of the Rimac Group but remains independent and will continue to work with other manufacturers. Bugatti and Rimac will remain separate brands, retaining their respective current French and Croatian production…

HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS powering goods vehicles is an inevitability, and there’s no chicken-and-egg issue between the trucks and their supporting infrastructure, according to Volvo Group tech chief Lars Stenqvist. He said: “One of the benefits of hydrogen is range, so the challenge of building up a network isn’t that scary. By 2025, there will be 300 to 500 stations, and by 2030 there will be 1000, which will be sufficient to kick it off.” THE V6 IN Ferrari’s new 296 GTB has identical bore and stroke to the V6 in the Maserati MC20, but chief technical officer Michael Leiters is adamant that the two are unrelated. “Ferrari doesn’t copy anybody or take over anything from others,” he said. “This stroke has been typical for Ferrari for years, and we didn’t…

FOR THE PAST couple of decades, industry analysts have been trying to predict future trends in alternative propulsion through ‘technology roadmaps’. Most were similar, foreseeing battery-electric vehicles in cities and a growth in hybrids finally giving way at some time in the future to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as the longer-range option. They haven’t been far off, except that BEVs have massively exceeded expectations; but the last part has yet to be revealed, and there’s still the prospect that, just around the corner, there might be the big one: the renewable, sustainable, carbon-neutral, hassle-free daddy of them all. So far, the talk has focused mainly on which technology that may be, but what if that has been a red herring all along and real possibilities lie not just in making…

Paul Booker has been advertising his BMW 320d, a 2012/62-reg Luxury model with 85,000 miles, on a leading website for several weeks but had few enquiries. He lives in south London and believes the expansion, this October, of the city’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) from central London to much of the North Circular and South Circular roads is to blame. “It’s in very good condition and I’ve priced it at £6700,” he said. “However, I’m sure buyers are being put off by it being an older diesel car that is penalised when entering the ULEZ zone.” The penalty he refers to is the £12.50 daily charge applied to cars that fail to meet the ULEZ emissions standard. For petrol models, the standard is Euro 4 (in force on most…

Not constrained by needing to house a lump of metal in the front, ‘skateboard’ EV platforms give manufacturers the opportunity to approach car design in a wholly different way. This has led some to fantasise about having classic shapes – like, say, the Lancia Delta – riding on modern electric platforms. But who would have thought that the revived Delta would come from Hyundai? Mechanically, at least, it shouldn’t really surprise anyone that Hyundai has come up with a thoroughly engineered EV, as it managed to coax impressive efficiency and range out of the Kona Electric, and that was still based on an ICE platform. The Electric Global Modular Platform (or E-GMP) is Hyundai’s new dedicated EV platform. It places the battery pack under the floor and the main motor…

The C3 Aircross is an important car for Citroën, third only in sales terms to the C5 Aircross and C3, so its mid-life refresh for 2021 has bigger implications than its slightly more chiselled front end and revamped options list would imply. New for 2021 are more than 70 colour combinations, standard LED headlights, added storage capacity, plush Advanced Comfort seats and a larger infotainment touchscreen. While some 4% of buyers still go for the diesel, it’s the 108bhp 1.2-litre petrol that will take the bulk of sales. It’s a characteristically thrummy turbo three-pot, mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, and it provides a good turn of pace when put to work. It’s not nippy or malleable like a Ford Ecoboost or Volkswagen TSI, but it’s reassuringly grunty off the…

FORD MUSTANG MACH-E EXTENDED RANGE RWD Most dynamic EV SUV to drive offers good usable space and distinguishing range. Not an expensive-feeling cabin, though. VOLKSWAGEN ID 4 LIFE 77KWH PRO PERFORMANCE Offers plenty of premium appeal, a very similar drive and better value. A simplified and intuitive EV experience. TESLA MODEL 3 LONG RANGE Less versatile and practical than rivals, but a force too potent to ignore. Tesla’s Supercharger public charging network is a huge advantage. POLESTAR 2 SINGLE MOTOR LONG RANGE Single-motor version of the impressive Polestar 2 beats the Q4’s key performance and range claims. Classy and alternative. AUDI Q4 E-TRON 40 SPORT Refined, well-rounded Audi has great interior space and tech, but struggles to justify its premium positioning in other ways.…

The kraken has awoken. That’s the nickname that the good people of McLaren Special Operations T (MSO) have given to their lately updated version of the deliciously mad, fire-breathing, front-engined supercar that many of them actually helped to produce more than a decade ago. They did it under a brief that McLaren didn’t write, of course; in circumstances that many in the company might not have chosen; and for a very different customer than the one for which the modern McLaren Automotive now caters. And yet it happened; it lived. And what a thing it remains. Earplugs at the ready then, folks, for the still bonkers-looking and now even more bonkers-sounding Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren… by MSO. This is a car so unlike any that the subsequently founded McLaren Automotive has…

Roger Penske may be far from a household name in Britain, but there’s a good reason why he will be one of the star guests at this week’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. With his Penske team having won multiple titles in Indycar and Nascar and set to serve as Porsche’s works outfit for its endurance racing return in 2023, the American is perhaps the most influential person in motorsport outside Formula 1. He’s also one of the most respected. Imagine if Ferrari or Mercedes bought the rights to the F1 World Championship: there would be accusations of bias and conflicts of interest flying all over the place. Yet in 2019, Penske bought not just the Indycar Series but also the Indianapolis Motor Speedway; and instead of questioning the move, rival…

MANY MIGHT BE unaware of this, given it has now been absent for 61 years, but Maserati has a strong grand prix racing record. The firm made its debut in 1931 and raced until the outbreak of war, returning for the inaugural Formula 1 World Championship in 1950 and winning its first grand prix in 1953, thanks to Juan Manuel Fangio. For 1954, it introduced the 250F, which made a great start as Fangio won in Argentina. Autocar then went to Belgium for round two, to see if Ferrari had caught up in the 22-week interlude (imagine that!). Fangio duly qualified on pole, more than a second ahead of the Scuderia’s José Froilán González. He made a poor start, almost stalling as the flag official hesitated, but recovered to third…

WRITE TO autocar@haymarket.com My £15k Bentayga-beater Steve Cropley’s verdict on his Bentley Bentayga V8 was, as ever, a great read (Our Cars, 2 June). I’ve been known to follow Steve’s recommendations, including buying a Ford Mondeo back in the last century. While my budget has improved since then, it still doesn’t stretch anywhere near the £208,000 cost of the Bentley. However, I’m continuing to enjoy my 2008 ex-demonstrator Range Rover Sport V8. I’m pleased that a simple push button heats my seat, rather than a “long-winded and confusing affair”, I can create a flat cargo floor, I can work the radio from the steering wheel and I have a full-size spare, rather than Steve’s £565 spacesaver. Add my Sport’s immediate off-the-mark accelerator response, the all-day cruising ability of its V8…

MILEAGE 8202 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if this car, the first of a kind for BMW, can tackle its established rivals “Can you both come down? Pleeeeaaaase!?” It was a daughter, chassis number AF/002 as you’re asking, suggesting that an occasion as august as her collection from university at the termination of her first year of studies required nothing less than the full complement of parents. She had a point, of sorts. It has been a miserable year for anyone in education, but I feel particular pity for those who missed out on that peculiarly enlivening challenge of surviving the full-on freshers’ experience. While her elder sister still won’t discuss what happened on hers (which suits us just fine), the younger one has almost no experience to discuss.…

MILEAGE 10,421 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To find out if it’s good enough to be a credible fast Ford flagship WHAT IS IT about a bright-orange hot hatch that invites tomfoolery from other drivers? Last week, I was approached three times by separate… enthusiasts, let’s call them, who wanted me to put my foot down and be embarrassed/vindicated by the impressive/lacklustre pace of their Audi S3/Citroën Saxo VTS in what would essentially be a drag race – on public roads, and with me already cruising at the speed limit. Having identified our Focus ST by its warbling engine note and Orange Fury paint, these would-be Max Verstappens felt that they had to give it a run for its money. I guess its dismissal of the Volkswagen Golf GTI in our…

Having read our piece on Japanese imports a few months back, Richard wanted to bring us up to date on his latest purchase: “It’s a Japanese-market 1994 Maserati Ghibli (57,000 miles), and it looks and drives like new. So I now have three Japanese imports: Zagato Lexus, Camaro and now the Ghibli. This is my third Biturbo-era Maserati, having previously owned a 1985 coupé and 1990 convertible, and I have to say I have been very impressed by the quality of them, completely at odds with their reputation in the press.” SEND YOUR USED CAR TALES TO james@bangernomics.com AND READERS' QUESTIONS TO autocar@haymarket.com…

TOYOTA LAND CRUISER 2.8D UTILITY £1972 deposit, £329 per month, 48 months, 8000 miles per year If the Land Cruiser can cope with the inhospitable terrain of the Sahara and Amazon, it should manage the quarry and building site. Utility trim is basic but endearing and off-road rivals won’t see which way you went. DACIA DUSTER 1.3 TCE 150 PRESTIGE 4x4 £1727 deposit, £288 per month, 48 months, 8000 miles per year The Duster comes only with four-wheel drive in top-rung trim but it remains an attractively good-value proposition. Added perks include automatic air conditioning, keyless entry and upmarket alloy wheel designs. LAND ROVER DEFENDER 90 D200 HARD-TOP £3217 deposit, £536 per month, 48 months, 8000 miles per year Style and utility wrapped up in one compact package. Land Rover’s…

ECONOMY EXPLAINED Between the various figures produced on the old-style NEDC, transitional NEDC Correlated and new-style WLTP laboratory emissions and fuel economy tests, it has become tricky to compare manufacturers’ claimed efficiency on the latest new cars. When you see a fuel economy and CO2 figure reference elsewhere, it’s often without explanation. So, to provide as fair and clear a basis for comparison as possible, you’ll only ever read WLTP combined fuel economy and CO2 figures in Autocar’s first drive reviews, features and comparison tests – and on these data pages. Those are the aggregated results of four lab tests carried out across as many different cruising speed ranges – although they’re sometimes expressed as a range rather than as one specific figure to show the different results recorded by…

THE BRITISH CAR industry put on a top show as the pandemic began, building ventilators, donating cars and roadside aid and much more. It was a reflection of the UK’s last national crisis, World War II, when car firms funded their own squadron of Supermarine Spitfires. At the cost of £105,000 (that’s £5.4 million today), 21 aeroplanes were gifted to the Royal Air Force. Donors included Austin (which named its Spitfire the Lord Austin); Dunlop (Pericles); Ford (Go to It); Lucas (King of the Air); the Motor Agents Association (MAA); the Motor Factors Association (Gay Gordon); the Nuffield Organization (WRM); Smiths (Smithfire); the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT); Vauxhall dealers (Wyvern I); and Vauxhall itself (Wyvern II). The Rootes Group bought three (Shadow, Snipe and William E Rootes).…

Lotus’s first brand-new series-production model in more than a decade is a stunning mid-engined, two-seat sports coupé with supercar-aping looks, a high-quality interior and the option of four-cylinder turbo power supplied by Mercedes-AMG. The Emira (pronounced ‘eh-meer-ah’), seen here officially for the first time ahead of its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, will be priced from less than £60,000 and is pitched at what Lotus believes to be a gap in the market below higher-performance versions of the Porsche 718 Cayman. It will go on sale in all key global markets next spring, initially powered by the Toyota-sourced supercharged 3.5-litre V6 from the outgoing Exige and Evora, before the 2.0-litre AMG unit follows in the summer. The Emira will be Hethel’s final non-electrified car. It follows the limited-run…

Renault will revive the classic 4 with a retro-styled model called the 4ever, which will join the 5 and the Mégane E-Tech Electric as one of seven new EVs it will launch by 2025. With a design inspired by the supermini produced from 1961 to 1994, the 4ever will be based on the same CMF-BEV platform as the reborn 5 supermini (due in 2024) but will take the form of a compact crossover. It will also spawn a small commercial variant inspired by the Fourgonnette panel van. Renault has confirmed that the new small EVs will effectively replace today’s Zoe supermini when production of that model finishes in 2024. It claims that new battery tech will allow it to cut prices by a third, suggesting starting figures of around £18,500.…

The new, second-generation BMW 2 Series Coupé has been unwrapped at the Goodwood Festival of Speed ahead of its market launch in early 2022. Retaining rear-wheel drive as standard and a cab-rear silhouette, the new two-door model is pitched at “customers at the sporty end of the driving system seeking an emotionally rich driving experience”. From launch, it will be offered in three guises: the petrol 220i, with a 2.0-litre turbo four sending 181bhp and 221lb ft to the rear axle; the 220d, with a mild-hybrid 2.0-litre diesel four making 188bhp and 295lb ft; and the M240i xDrive, which has a 3.0-litre petrol straight six and four-wheel drive. This will top the line-up with 369bhp and 369lb ft until the full-fat M2 Coupé arrives later in 2022. Each model uses…

Volvo has previewed its XC90 successor through the Concept Recharge, which also showcases key technology that will underpin its electric-only future. The Swedish firm currently has two EVs in its line-up (the XC40 P8 Recharge and C40 Recharge SUVs), both built on the multi-powertrain CMA platform. The XC90 flagship’s successor will use the new EVonly SPA2 platform. It is due in 2022 with a new name and will be twinned with the upcoming 3 SUV from sister brand Polestar. The new Volvo will take key styling cues from the Concept Recharge, which combines a two-box estate silhouette with a raised ride height. Volvo design boss Robin Page called the concept “a manifesto for the all-electric future of Volvo cars, as well as a new type of vehicle”. The Concept Recharge…

A new British-built £40,000 mid-engined sports coupé, developed in secret and now ready for the road and poised for production, will make its debut this week at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Called the Wells Vertige, the car was designed to be beautiful, simple to own and fun to drive. It’s the brainchild of entrepreneur Robin Wells, who set out in 2014 to buy the sports car of his dreams. “I had a pretty wide choice,” he says, “but nothing appealed so in the end I decided to make my own car. It has been a long journey, but I’ve loved it.” The Vertige has a composite body mounted on a super-stiff steel monocoque chassis, topped by a tubular steel rollcage, with fabricated tubular frames at either end to carry…

THE VOLKSWAGEN POLO GTI will return to dealerships in early 2022 with a new, Golf-inspired look, upgraded interior technology and 204bhp from its 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine. The hot supermini retains its seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox (there’s no word on the long-rumoured manual option) and can crack the 0-62mph sprint in 6.5sec. The GTI sits 15mm lower than the standard Polo and features stiffer suspension. New styling elements include a wraparound front light bar, LED matrix headlights, a new rear bumper design, dynamic indicators and fresh alloy wheel designs. An 8.0in central infotainment touchscreen is a standard and the interior is marked out from the standard Polo’s by red trim elements. A panoramic sunroof, voice control, a wireless charger and a Beats sound system are all optional. Volkswagen has yet to…

In light of current used car price rises, I decided to see what I might get for my 2018/68-reg Mazda MX-5 2.0 184 Sport Nav with 17,000 miles. I paid £20,850 for the then six-month-old dealer demonstrator in February 2019, when it had 400 miles on the clock. I had tracked its value at intervals using webuyanycar.com and saw it falling away to a low of around £13,500. This month I checked again and was amazed to be quoted £19,105. After allowing for its sundry blemishes, it revised its offer to £18,592. Not bad, but then I tried wizzle.co.uk. This company presents your car to thousands of dealers who, if they like it, bid for it. Taking the Mazda’s blemishes into account, it suggested a selling price of £18,710. I…

MONDAY One of the delights of recent times has been writing about the new Wells Vertige sports car (see p14), which has popped up fully formed without any of us having seen it grow. A beautiful, diminutive, bespoke coupé, it’s the work of two Robins: entrepreneur and designer Robin Wells and engineer Robin Hall. It shows every sign of being an affordable, capable and viable little car, and we will know for sure in a few weeks’ time. What’s remarkable isn’t the simple fact of the Vertige’s existence; a few others in this country of creators have the skills to do similar. The wonder is that Wells and Hall have had the steadiness, energy, determination and self-belief to complete their five-year project without fanfare, trusting that their achievement will win…

David Brown Automotive’s re-engineering of the classic Mini is a thing of loveliness, if as well as some cost. But it’s more at home in Knightsbridge than it is on a twisting B-road, which is a balance that this new limited-to-60 Oselli Edition, named for the famed tuner that supplies its tweaked 1450cc A-series engine, is meant to shift. The basics are the same as with other ‘remastered’ Minis, in that a donor car is given a new shell (which comes supplied to original specification and is then deseamed, coated and basically sorted out) before having the 125bhp motor installed, to drive via a five-speed gearbox and limited-slip differential. The Oselli Edition runs on 13in wheels, its front track is about 5mm wider than its rear track and its suspension…

MODEL TESTED 40 SPORT Price £44,990 • Power 201bhp • Torque 229lb ft • 0-60mph 8.1sec • 30-70mph in fourth na • Fuel economy 2.9mpkWh • CO2 emissions 0g/km • 70-0mph 55.5m Watching as the cars we all know, and the companies behind them, switch from reciprocating pistons to electric motors over the coming years will probably feel strange and unsettling at times. As the market’s landscape is made anew, very few of those familiar, bankable automotive-market truths that we’ve always taken for granted are likely to remain fixed. This week, another one bites the dust as Audi branches out into the business end of the market for electric cars for the very first time. The Q4 E-tron – Ingolstadt’s third all-electric model following the larger E-tron SUV of 2018…

Around the time I became a teenager, in the late 1970s, one poster among a tapestry of car-related pictures dominated my bedroom wall. It showed the 1979 Ferrari range, from the ‘entry’ 308 GT4 through the 308 GTB, 308 GTS and 512 BB to the 400i GT. Below each image were the vital statistics, and to this day I can remember every number – which either shows the prescience of Ferrari’s marketers, grasping that callow youths might actually go out and live their dream 40 years on, or simply that they could hook in yet more fledgling ambassadors to the brand. Well, four decades later, I’m still Ferrariless, and while I would never call myself an ‘ambassador’ for Maranello, I do still harbour a soft spot for the models I…

Bentleyness. Noun. The quality that makes a car feel like a Bentley. Bentleyfication. Noun. The process of instilling Bentleyness into a car. You won’t find Bentleyness or Bentleyfication in the dictionary, but since both phrases are used liberally by Matthias Rabe when discussing the key challenges in his new role as Bentley’s head of engineering, we thought it would be helpful to offer some definitions. Because his biggest task is ensuring that Bentley models continue to be imbued with Bentleyness as the firm moves into the electric era. Rabe, who joined Bentley from Volkswagen in August last year, taking over from Werner Tietz, is charged with leading development of the cars that will underpin the most profound changes in the storied brand’s 102-year-history. “For sure it’s a challenge, and it’s…

Hyundai i20 N vs Ford Fiesta ST The Ford Fiesta ST has had the baby hot hatch class sewn up for a decade – now it faces its most serious challenger yet, in the shape of Hyundai’s new i20 N Marc Lichte We meet Audi’s design boss to hear about the Four Rings’ latest evolution Suzuki at 100 Colin Goodwin marks Suzuki’s centenary by trying its whole range, from bikes to boats EVERY WEEK BMW M5 CS Super-saloon made harder and faster gets the full eight pages British Grand Prix What the returning fans can expect from round 10 of Lewis versus Max SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p18…

MILEAGE 1488 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To evaluate Netflix-style subscription services as a way of ‘buying’ a new car After lots of time making use of the plug-in hybrid XC60’s electric range on local journeys, at last a longer drive was on the cards to really stretch its legs. Since the pandemic started, I’ve gone from about 20,000 miles per year to about a quarter of that, with a fairly long commute and longer weekend drives swapped for working from our spare bedroom and lots of short local journeys that largely make use of electric power. PHEVs are at their best when most of your driving is local, so you can make use of the electric range (still no more than around 20 miles in the XC60 T8), and the…

Question We want to change QUESTION our daily diesel runaround to a small hybrid hatchback. What can I get for £18,000? Christine Taylor, Buckingham Answer If you’re looking for ‘really small’, the Toyota Yaris could be a good ANSWER way to go, with models around two to three years old available from just over £14,000. For something a bit larger, why not consider the Renault Clio E-Tech? We found a 2020 RS Line model in the classifieds for £17,995. You’ll get lots of equipment, including cruise control, climate control and sat-nav, and Renault claims you’ll be able to get around 64.2mpg. Alternatively, if you’re able to stretch your budget to £20,000, you could get a nearly new VW Golf eTSI. Question Should I be worried QUESTION about buying a used…

Sports cars are becoming ever faster and more advanced, which is great, but that means they’re also getting bigger and heavier, which really isn’t great. The BMW Z3 M Coupé stands out in the classifieds today, then, not least for its compact stature. It’s 4025mm long, 1740mm wide and just 1280mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2459mm, making it substantially smaller than today’s Z4; and it tips the scales at 1375kg so is about 200kg lighter. Get past its oft-derided ‘clown shoe’ silhouette and you will see that it’s one of Munich’s finest products of the modern era. Packing a suitably throaty 3.2-litre straight six, it can shoot from 0-62mph in 5.3sec, with its five-speed manual transmission giving your left arm a good workout. Its dynamic qualities are a major…

When the FK2-generation Honda Civic Type R burst onto the scene in 2015, it quickly set about proving itself to be one of the most capable hot hatches on the market, sporting a radical (if a bit controversial) new look, a whopping great rear wing and – crucially – a power hike. There were two trim levels to choose from at launch, but both packed Honda’s fiery 2.0-litre VTEC Turbo engine, famed for its scintillating performance and engaging character. In this application, it produced 310bhp and helped to give the car a 0-62mph time of less than six seconds. Bluetooth, 19in alloy wheels, LED headlights, keyless ignition, cruise control and a raft of other assist systems were all standard fitment, so FK2 owners have little reason to envy those driving…

A road test in any other magazine might well be a short, subjective summary of a new car produced under almost any circumstances, but the Autocar road test is different. Specific, rigorous and detailed, it’s the closest examination we can give of any new model. It appears over at least eight pages and is close to 50 man-hours in the making every week. Most of what the road test process entails is designed to be strictly repeatable and fair. We benchmark standing-start and in-gear acceleration at a purpose-built test facility every week. We carry out both subjective and objective handling tests on both road and track, on the latter up to and beyond the limit of grip, so as to fully assess stability, drivability and limit handling appeal. And while…

Alpine’s reinvention as an exclusively electric brand will begin in 2024 with a hot reworking of the Renault 5 supermini, followed by an electric A110 successor and a larger, grand tourer-style car. The French performance marque’s next-generation line-up was previewed during a recent online presentation by way of their silhouettes. One is the next-generation A110, a two-seat sports car that Alpine is currently codeveloping with Lotus, using a bespoke platform. The second silhouette shows the now-confirmed hot version of the 5, which will use the Mégane E-Tech Electric’s front-mounted 215bhp motor. In its first incarnation, Alpine produced a hot version of the original 5 (although it was badged the 5 Gordini in the UK, because Chrysler owned the rights to the Alpine name at the time). The third silhouette appears…

MORE THAN A decade after its launch, the Lamborghini Aventador is bowing out with the limited-run LP 780-4 Ultimae edition, which is also Sant’Agata’s final pure-combustion V12 production car. Appearing at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Ultimae is described as “a celebration of the iconic V12 super-sports car and combustion engine in a final production model”. As reported by Autocar earlier this year, Lamborghini’s venerable naturally aspirated 12-cylinder engine will be used for a final time in the Aventador’s successor but with a hybrid powertrain element serving as a bridge to pure-electric Lamborghini models in the future. The 6.5-litre unit produces 10bhp more in the LP 780-4 Ultimae than in the previous range-topping Aventador, the SVJ, sending 769bhp (780PS, hence the name) to both axles, which means Lamborghini’s final…

NISSAN HAS DETAILED a bold £1 billion expansion plan for its factory in Sunderland, which will include a new dedicated EV battery facility and a new electric SUV being built there, creating some 1650 new jobs. With investment coming from battery-making partner Envision, Sunderland City Council and the UK government, Nissan’s wide-reaching EV36Zero initiative will fund the building of a new site to make ‘Gen5’ batteries that are 30% more energy-dense than current ones. The site should reach an eventual capacity of 35MWh by 2040. The new electric SUV will use the same CMF-EV platform as the Japanese-built Ariya but looks to be smaller, so it could indirectly replace the Leaf hatchback, which is expected to bow out in around 2024.…

Why build your own car? “I guess there’s something in all of us that wants to create our own car. Even in rental cars, I make a mental list about how I would improve the thing. Then a few years ago, I set out to buy the ideal sports car – and nothing appealed.” You styled the car before you designed the chassis. Why? “Yes, we deliberately did the opposite to what most people do. I was determined to have a really beautiful car. Then Robin [Hall] designed his chassis to allow us to have perfect proportions.” Although the design’s your own, you never actually drew the car accurately, did you? “No, I decided we would do everything full size. We would produce a shape, then just stand and look…

THE NEW BENTLEY Flying Spur Hybrid has arrived with a 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V6 mated to a 134bhp electric motor for a combined 536bhp – 95bhp more than its Bentayga Hybrid sibling. Joining non-electrified V8 and W12 models in the Flying Spur range, the new plug-in hybrid uses a 14.1kWh battery to offer a projected EV range of more than 25 miles. With a 0-60mph time of 4.1sec and a top speed of 177mph, it closely matches the performance of the standard V8 saloon. Bespoke hybrid flourishes include unique badging, an EV drive mode selector, EVspecific information displays and four oval exhaust exits. Customer deliveries will start in late 2021 and prices are expected to slightly undercut the V8’s, at around £145,000.…

The naturally aspirated Lamborghini V12 was never going to die with a whimper. Lamborghini has been using the configuration since its foundation, and although the Aventador’s replacement will stick with 12 cylinders, the company has confirmed that it will also be gaining hybrid assistance. So the Essenza SCV12 is set to be the last new Lamborghini launched with an unassisted V12 and, fittingly, it’s also the most powerful. Yes, the Essenza is a track-only special and comes with a seven-figure price that many will regard as ludicrous. But it is far from being the rehashed Aventador many had accused it of being, using a carbonfibre tub designed to meet the safety standards of the FIA’s hypercar race class without the need for a separate roll-cage. The biggest mechanical change is…

Audi is at its best when using the best technology at its disposal to make the most accomplished luxury cars it can. Trouble is, when it makes arbitrary rules about the kind of engines its lower-order hot cars should use and expanding into vital developing market areas, its most direct route to ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ isn’t always open. Thankfully, rules are made to be broken, and even when Audi first started switching its S models from petrol to diesel a few years ago (to reduce their average CO2 emissions), it excepted the SQ2, S3, S8 and TTS. And now, as it introduces the SQ7 and SQ8 SUVs to North America, both have switched from diesel to petrol. For the SQ8, that means ditching a 429bhp 4.0-litre mild-hybrid V8 in favour…

2021 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF R vs 1981 BMW M1 Unlike the Italian pairing, here we have a modern sub-£40,000 family hatchback that trounces its homespun supercar forebear in the power and performance stakes. Even by today’s standards, the Golf R comes close to upsetting supercar royalty but, versus the M1, which was made between 1978 and 1981, it produces an extra 43bhp and 67lb ft of torque and accelerates to 60mph nearly 2.0sec quicker. The M1 is a bona fide homologation special, too, and the first to be fully developed by BMW’s now famous M division. As with the Giulia, turbocharging gives the Golf R much of its power advantage, despite trading two cylinders and 1.5 litres to the M1’s straight six. Some of the M1’s mid-engined handling characteristics could probably…

After 21 years repairing roads, Mick has had enough of dragging heavy jackhammers from the backs of trucks, lugging them to a potholed patch of road and then breaking up iron-hard asphalt for hours on end. “I’m lucky I don’t have white finger by now,” he tells me. He’s referring to Raynaud’s disease, a localised restriction in blood flow caused by, among other things, vibration such as that generated by a jackhammer. When this is the cause, it’s known as hand-arm vibration syndrome. It can develop within just six months of doing this job and there’s no cure. It’s one of the biggest issues facing the Health and Safety Executive, the body charged with policing safety at work, with contractors routinely paying out large sums of compensation to affected workers.…

Russian GP heads to St Petersburg Formula 1’s Russian Grand Prix will switch from the unpopular Sochi street circuit to the Autodrom Igora Drive near St Petersburg from 2023. The 2.54-mile, 15-corner circuit was designed by the prolific Hermann Tilke and opened in 2019. It is also set to host Germany’s DTM touring car series and the World Rallycross Championship. This year’s Sochi F1 race is scheduled to be held on 26 September. Oliphant denied BTCC double BMW racer Tom Oliphant starred in the British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch recently, dominating the opening race and leading the second until the final lap, when Tom Ingram battled past in his Hyundai i30 N Fastback. Adam Morgan (BMW 330i M Sport) won the meeting’s third race. Safari so good for…

Mercedes is Formula 1’s third-most successful team in terms of victories, with 118 (at the time of writing), behind only Ferrari (238) and McLaren (182) and has racked up nine drivers’ titles and seven constructors’ championships. Only Ferrari (31) and McLaren (20) have a higher combined total, while the additional five titles taken with Mercedes engines by McLaren and one by Brawn shouldn’t be overlooked. Most of the success has come since Mercedes took over Brawn ahead of 2010. This formed the modern F1 team; the first two drivers’ titles in 1954 and 1955, with Juan Manuel Fangio driving the legendary W196, were achieved by a team based at the marque’s Stuttgart HQ. The modern Mercedes leads the way in terms of dominance of an era. Seven consecutive drivers-and-constructors doubles…

MILEAGE 5235 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if Europe’s best-selling retail car lives up to our bullish road test claims ONE OF THE enduring fascinations of the new Sandero Stepway is just how much all-round capability is delivered by its modest 89bhp 1.0-litre three-pot turbo engine. You can cruise as quickly as the others on motorways with a decent amount of shove left in case you need it and you can thrum smoothly along right at the bottom of the rev range in traffic. The price you pay (if price is the right word) is gear-changing. You’re in top gear far less than you would be in a car with, say, a 1.5-litre engine. Sixth is geared at over 28mph per 1000rpm, which means you never select it until…

This isn’t all about a Mini called Cooper, or Henry to be precise. A glance inside the road-fund-licence-free garage reveals a load of old nails with expired MOT certificates. They don’t legally require them, but it is always best to be on the safe side. I’ve been busy, which isn’t much of an excuse, but the Baby Shark is going to need a set of tyres. The Adorable Italian Job seems in fine fettle, though I’m not at all happy with the colour of Henry’s coolant at the moment. It runs really well and starts without a murmur, so I just hope it is vehicular hypochondria on my part. I’m making an inventory of anything that needs doing.…

The Audi A6 Avant is a capacious, good-looking, premium-badged estate car of enormous suavity and more than decent road manners. Under its elegantly lengthy bonnet, you’ll find a wide range of engines, including a 201bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel (badged 40 TDI) and a 282bhp 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel (50 TDI). Petrols are a 2.0-litre in either 201bhp 40 TFSI or more potent 261bhp 45 TFSI form and a 335bhp 3.0-litre (55 TFSI) for proper poke. There’s also a 344bhp diesel powered S6 super-sporting version if you want to scare the dog silly. Sport-spec A6 Avants come with most of the luxuries you are likely to want, including heated front seats, part-leather upholstery and 18in alloy wheels. Upgrading to S line trim brings 19in alloys, sportier looks and leather and Alcantara seats.…

Aston Martin has always been a byword for stylish, luxurious grand tourers, and this 1969 DBS Vantage is one of the finest interpretations of the formula. Billed as the successor to the DB6, the DBS was the catalyst for the brand’s visual reinvention under William Towns. Just 300 were built in Vantage spec and only 317 righth-and-drive examples of the DBS were fitted with a ZF manual gearbox. One was this car, which was treated to a £20,000 overhaul in 2015, receiving new brakes, suspension, steering and ignition, while the interior was kept as original as possible. It sold for £110,000. TVR Tuscan £44,995 A homage to the 1967 car of the same name, the Tuscan arrived in 1999 to a one-year media drive ban from TVR owner Peter Wheeler.…

An expert’s view PHIL CRAFFORD, DREAM AUTOMOTIVE “Our business was born off the back of the FK2. You can race them around and be quite aggressive with them, yet they’re quite composed when you want to lay off. It’s a family car that can do all the work. If you take it to a track day, you can put in a fast time and it can bring you home and take the kids down the shops. It’s a perfect all-rounder. We have customers that have supercars and they run one of these as a daily car.” Buyer beware… WHEELS Inspect all alloys to make sure they haven’t been scuffed or damaged, because their low-profile tyres make them common prey to the UK’s vicious kerbs. The Type R’s alloys cost around…

FORD MONDEO TESTED 11.10.00 Huge investment by Ford tried to ensure the second, all-new Mondeo would outshine even the excellent first car. The result was a near-flawless package. A stronger exterior shape cloaked 148mm of added length, providing 50mm more rear leg room and a 500-litre boot. The new 16-valve Duratec engine was a heavily reworked version of the previous Zetec, while the five-speed manual ’box was also an improved carryover. MacPherson strut front suspension and a four-link rear set-up remained, but front and rear track, wheel size and brake disc diameter all increased. A new hush and smoothness characterised the engine, masking its class-leading performance. Shorter gearing made use of the powertrain’s refinement via a crisp gearchange, while more feelsome brakes performed a little better, too. Ride comfort was…

It strikes me that the smaller a vehicle is, One of those wee scooters that currently can get you into trouble with the police makes perfect sense as a BEV. These are used for short trips, are lightweight and have a chassis perfect for batteries. Why would you want one any other way? A container ship chugging from China to Europe, displacing more than a hundred thousand tonnes of water, though? Probably not. The battle lines about the crossover point – and some people get very angry about this – seem to be somewhere in the middle. There’s an analogy about the crossover that works in adverts but isn’t terribly helpful in reality. There are people in ads using hairdryers and telephones that all have little engines inside them, kicking…