Innholdsfortegnelse for July 5, 2023 i Autocar

ASTON MARTIN IS shaking up its supplier network for the development of its electric car platform, including sourcing parts from shareholder Geely to cut costs and hasten its arrival. The company will take electric drive units and battery modules from Californian EV maker Lucid for its electric models, but Geely’s involvement could be just as important if Aston Martin is to successfully make the shift to electric. Roberto Fedeli, Aston’s technical chief, cited some examples of the parts that Geely will supply ahead of Aston’s EV roll-out, which starts in 2025. “It’s a very good opportunity,” said Fedeli. “We are speaking about seats, HVAC… We speak about everything we can get from a wide shelf of components.” Sourcing from Geely instead of relying on its existing supplier base would help…

THE BMW M5 Touring will return next year, having gone on hiatus since the E60-generation model was discontinued in 2010. BMW has also confirmed that the new M5 – to be available in saloon and estate forms – will use a hybrid powertrain, as previously reported by Autocar. The plug-in hybrid system is understood to pair a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged ‘S63’ V8 engine with a rear-mounted electric motor. Sources say the two units combine for power and torque outputs in the region of 790bhp and 737lb ft. “We are installing a hybrid drive system with typical M performance in other highperformance cars,” said M development head Dirk Häcker. Power is set to be delivered through an eight-speed torqueconverter automatic gearbox, with a rear-biased xDrive four-wheel drive system. BMW’s Audi RS6 rival…

AS TECHNOLOGY that directly affects us as consumers moves along the timeline, terminology once only found hiding in textbooks emerges into the public consciousness. ‘Rare earths’ may not be on everyone’s lips at the breakfast table, but it’s certainly a term that has become familiar to anyone interested in cars, and especially so since EVs began to take off and many rare things that come from the earth have come under greater scrutiny. So what are these things and what are they used for? Ironically, they aren’t particularly rare, and they haven’t suddenly become a ‘thing’ purely in relation to EVs either; they are already in widespread use not only in ICE cars but also in many other types of tech used by the average household. Rare earth materials are…

MAJOR MANUFACTURERS need to strengthen their supply chains before niche makers can develop electric sports cars, BAC co-founder Neill Briggs has told Autocar. Liverpool-based BAC has been a key proponent of zeroemission powertrains in the low-volume sports car sector, with projects such as the 2021 hydrogen fuel cell E-Mono. Briggs has now told Autocar he is “convinced” electric motors are the optimal propulsion method, but “where you get the power from is a highly complex question”. Hurdles include the supply of powertrains from major manufacturers as well infrastructural uncertainties. He said: “The biggest challenge for us is that, with all the vehicles we have made to date, we relied on [major manufacturers] to develop a power unit. In the EV space, we are exactly as reliant and there are challenges…

Even the most iconic movie trilogies (The Godfather, The Dark Knight) tend to run out of puff by the third instalment. But it’s different with Skoda SUVs. The Czech maker released a strong three-part series, with the Kodiaq being the equivalent of a great debut movie, followed by the highly successful Karoq and Kamiq. Now, the firm is focusing its efforts back where it all started and a new Kodiaq will land in the first quarter of 2024. The second-generation large SUV will continue to share parts with other Volkswagen Group models, including the VW Tiguan, and it will still offer up to seven seats. Prices, trim levels and equipment will be confirmed towards the end of this year, but the choice of a standard Kodiaq and a sportier-looking Sportline…

Audi announced the limitededition Competition variant of the RS4 this time last year but it has taken until now for examples to arrive in the UK. Maybe it takes that long to polish the wheels because, my, aren’t they gorgeously shiny? Ultimately, just 75 will arrive here, all in this black paintwork. Changes over the regular RS4 Avant include reduced soundproofing on the front bulkhead and a fruitier exhaust system but, most significant, there’s a manually adjustable suspension set-up from KW Automotive – RS Sport Suspension Pro – as fitted here. It is a coilover spring and damper unit, dropping the RS4’s ride height by 10mm with the opportunity, if you’re happy to get under the car with a spanner, to reduce that by up to 10mm again. While you’re…

“We don’t really do facelifts,” Polestar told us at the launch of the not-facelifted Polestar 2. Instead, it makes subtle model-year changes and keeps its cars fresh with over-the-air updates. It’s true that the visual changes for 2023 here are minor. The fake grille has been filled in and there are some smart new wheel designs. This is less a facelift, then, and more of a gastric sleeve, because the big changes are aimed at reducing the 2’s appetite for kilowatt-hours. Like the related Volvo XC40 and C40 Recharge, the Polestar 2 gets a new, more efficient inverter and motor, now mounted at the rear, and with them comes a substantial bump in power and a rapid-charging speed. The result is a more favourable WLTP figure – at 4.2mpkWh, it’s…

The British Grand Prix is a monster, right up there with Glastonbury as a national happening on the grandest scale. Silverstone’s Formula 1 round takes place this Sunday, as Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and the rest attempt to depose Max Verstappen, Sergio Pérez and their dominant Red Bull team. They haven’t managed it anywhere else so far this year, but races at the old airfield circuit are rarely dull. “I’m hoping for a Silverstone sizzler,” says Stuart Pringle, the man who is ultimately responsible for making the British GP a reality. It’s a massive undertaking. More than 200 full-time employees, external contractors and an army of volunteers – 960 at the last count – will work all hours this weekend to make it all happen. This is much more than…

Heroes come in many forms. The Fiesta 1.0T Ecoboost of 2012-17 won’t pull you clear of a speeding train or throw its coat over a puddle but, when it’s not breaking its timing belt or overheating, it will put a smile on your face and, when you’ve finished with it, return a fair chunk of your initial investment. Many cars can do that, but few are as easy to buy as the ubiquitous Ford. At last count, there were 2000 1.0T Ecoboosts for sale on one major website, ranging from £2000 to £15,000 and being offered by every Tom, Dick and main dealer. With such choice, buying a duffer should be almost impossible. Don’t like the service history? There’s a nicer one around the corner. Ecoboost is Ford’s name for…

Last week, we marked Ford turning 120 years old in June with a celebration on this page of the most famous and impactful cars that Ford has made (so far). This week, we’re going to the other end of the scale to unearth the rarest and most forgotten models ever to wear a Blue Oval – either long-forgotten cars or very rare derivatives from otherwise popular model lines. Ford Sierra GLS 4x4 There is, of course, nothing obscure at all about the Ford Sierra in general: it was one of the top-selling cars of the 1980s. But some individual models are very rare and this is certainly the case with the GLS 4x4, which was produced for a very brief period in 1989. Mechanically, it was identical to the much…

“Aston’s EVs will employ four motors for power outputs of potentially up to 1500bhp” Aston Martin’s electric era will begin with a new SUV in late 2025, followed by a new GT by the end of the decade. The new models will be built on a bespoke modular architecture that is able to underpin everything from sports cars lower than the current Vantage to SUVs the size of the DBX and beyond. The cars will be powered by motors and battery technology sourced from US start-up Lucid. The EVs will sit alongside Aston’s existing range of internalcombustion-engined models rather than replace them, because the company has not yet committed to a sole power source for all of its future models. Technical chief Roberto Fedeli hopes to have the first electric…

The new SF90 XX is among Ferrari’s most extreme road-going models to date, evolving the marque’s flagship supercar to become a 1016bhp track car for the road. Available in Stradale (coupé) and Spider forms, the SF90 XX is intended to “push the car on the edge” of its potential, according to development boss Gianmaria Fulgenzi. As such, the design brief for the SF90 XX was to enhance performance significantly but also “give the confidence to the driver to push the car at its limit”, according to chief test driver Raffaele de Simone. As part of an aggressive aerodynamic overhaul, the car features the first fixed rear spoiler mounted to a roadgoing Ferrari since that seen on the F50 of 1995. The spoiler is capable of generating 315kg of downforce at…

With used cars now so expensive and online car sales scams increasing as a result, a vehicle valuation tool has been developed that advises buyers when an advertised price is too good to be true. Brego Advert Check enables a buyer to compare the price of the vehicle they are interested in with its estimated dealer price and auction value. If the price is too low, the user is advised to be cautious and to visit the dealer before proceeding further. The online tool, which is free to use at check.brego.io, was developed in response to the growing incidence of a type of online fraud where people are tempted into paying a deposit or even the full purchase price for a car that has been deliberately underpriced, usually by thousands…

“The sole option for now is a V8, with power boosted to a whopping 671bhp” On the launch last year of the Aston Martin DBX 707, a heavily overhauled version of the DBX, we were given the obligatory show-around of the car. All was going well until we got inside and I prodded the screen on the dashboard. “Yeah… that’s still not a touchscreen,” came the awkward reply. However spectacular Astons look, sound and perform, nothing screams ‘old tech’ these days more than a large display screen in the middle of a dashboard that you can’t operate by touch (whether touchscreens are a good thing is another debate, but you get what I mean…). On a car launched in 2022, as the DBX 707 was, and built by a car…

t would be easy to believe that the small car was in its death throes, its demise brought on by environmental legislation. But if this really is the case, nobody has told Renault. For starters, its retrothemed 4 and 5 EV concepts will soon become a showroom reality. Moreover, an all-new Clio is on the drawing board, its design as good as signed off. And the current car has just received a mid-life refresh. Mechanically, the Clio is pretty much unchanged, because the main focus has been cosmetic. There is a more aggressive design for the front and rear bumpers, slimmer LED headlights and an eye-catching daytime-running light signature. Together, they give the Clio a more purposeful look, especially in the new range-topping Esprit Alpine trim tested here. A replacement…

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio has met with glowing praise since its 2016 launch. The agility and purity of its rear-driven handling, its fluency and compactness on the road, and the idiosyncratic fierceness of its Ferrari-derived V6 all won it instant recognition. Now, in a rare move in today’s performance car market, Alfa has sought to make the car better by making it simpler. The car gets the same mid-life tweaks as the regular Giulia – new headlights, a new ‘Trilobo’ radiator grille, new digital instruments and updated infotainment. But specific to the Quadrifoglio is a hike in peak power to 514bhp and a recalibration of the suspension and driveline specification intended to give the car what Alfa performance engineering lead Domenico Bagnasco calls a “mini-GTA feel”. With the aim…

“My belief is that there is not one right approach to reduce carbon” February 17, 2010. The day Akio Toyoda, just months into his presidency of Toyota, bowed before US Congress in order to explain the unintended acceleration crisis that led to more than 10 million vehicles being recalled worldwide. And the day his working life finally made sense. “When I went to the public hearing, I thought: ‘I’m done as company president,’” he says. “Until then, I’d been called the president’s son. I’d become untouchable through my life at the company. If someone was nice to me, others would say: ‘Why are you kissing up to the boss’s son?’ A lot of Toyota people didn’t like that. On the other hand, they worried that if they picked on me,…

“The next decade is certainly one of challenges. To overcome these, the industry needs to embrace the very best of talent – and that means from all parts of society. We need to show that opportunities exist as much for women as they do for men.” Lynn Calder, CEO of Ineos Automotive, is a self-proclaimed “newcomer” to the automotive sector and is committed to inspiring more women to enter the industry and progress to its highest echelons. “I came into the industry at the right time,” she added, with “radical” change on the horizon that will – she hopes – see a new crop of talent flood into the sector. “We’re in an industry that can’t keep doing things the same way. The rulebook needs to be rewritten. And that…

It was with great interest that I read the news in the 12 June issue about Stellantis saying cars must live longer to cut CO2. This was music to my ears, as I’ve long said that the greenest car is the one that’s already on your drive. It’s essential to recycle and prolong the life of vehicles but, as you said, it does require car manufacturers to change their business model from sales to the lifetime care of their products. Even more important, though, is the engagement of politicians. Here, I’m thinking about blunt instruments like ultra low emissions zones. When legislators introduce retrospective and regressive measures, consumers feel forced to change vehicles to keep pace with the law. People need certainty if the longer vehicle ownership and life initiative…

SIGNAGE ON BRITAIN’S roads evolved naturally, first put up by cyclists and later also motorists. In 1903, four standard signs were created, but still you would see a lot of variation across the nation. Standardisation came in 1934, but as cars got faster and traffic thicker, these grew unsuitable, and the problem became critical when motorway building began. The signs trialled on the new Preston bypass were well liked, so its designers were hired when a committee was formed to redo all signs, under Industrial Design Council chief Sir Walter Worboys. In early July 1963, it published a report of its findings and plans. Existing signs had eight flaws, it said: they were too small; too complex; too similar; ineffective at night; reliant on drivers being able to read English;…

Fiat will again battle in the highly profitable crossover segment with this, the new 600 – an electric successor to the 500X set to take on the Kia Niro EV and Jeep Avenger. Sharing much of its Jeep sibling’s hardware, including the e-CMP2 platform, the Italian crossover draws power from a 54kWh (51kWh usable capacity) battery, which matches the Avenger’s 249-mile range. A single motor sends 154bhp and 192lb ft to the front wheels. The 600 will not be offered with a combustion powertrain and is only available in five-door form. The bulbous Fiat is geared towards families and offers 360 litres of boot space – more than the upcoming Volvo EX30 it will go up against – and “best-inclass front storage”, although the firm has yet to disclose the…

Within seconds of logging onto Facebook Marketplace, we found our first suspicious car, listed on the site’s home page. The 2012-reg Range Rover Evoque 2.2 SD4 automatic had 53,000 miles on the clock and was being advertised for £4750. According to Advert Check, this was £6141 less than the estimated dealer price and £4616 less than the auction value. We messaged the seller for more details but when, a few minutes later, we rechecked the listing, it had been withdrawn. Drilling deeper into Facebook Marketplace, we then found a suspiciously cheap Range Rover Velar. Registered in 2017 and with 100,000 miles, it was listed at just £10,900, which is £12,349 less than Advert Check’s estimated dealer price and £9094 less than the auction value. The seller, a man calling himself…

The highly anticipated Polestar 5 will arrive next year, promising “supercar levels” of body stiffness from an all-new platform, plus a targeted power output of 874bhp and 663lb ft of torque. Now, just over a year away from the reveal of the Swedish brand’s new flagship EV, we have been given a spot in the passenger seat to see how the Porsche Taycan rival – and the first Polestar to be developed in the UK – truly feels. A SIDEWAYS REVELATION As a means of getting familiar with an all-new car, passenger rides are a bit of a blunt instrument. But sometimes the car in question does something so novel, and does it so effortlessly, that it doesn’t matter which seat you’re sitting in because the cat’s just as far…

Here’s the Spectre, the first fully electric car from Rolls-Royce, its fourth based on the company’s highly adaptable Architecture of Luxury aluminium platform, and a coupé that Rolls-Royce says spiritually replaces the earlier Phantom coupé rather than the more recently retired Wraith. The Spectre is large, at 5.48m long and 2.02m wide across the body, or about the same size as a generous double-cab pick-up truck. It has four-wheel drive via two motors, one at each end. The forward one makes 255bhp and 269lb ft, and the rear 483bhp and 524lb ft, although because of how they behave together, their combined maximum output is 576bhp and 664lb ft. With a single gear ratio, the ability to be single-pedal driven and all of the noiseless, vibrationless capabilities that Charles Rolls is…

There’s something a bit perverse about this facelift of the Peugeot 508 PSE because it is very literally a facelift. There are no changes to the mechanicals of this beefy, plug-in hybrid executive, only stylistic ones and, let’s be honest, the 508 PSE needed style updates like Google needs more brand awareness. It was already really rather stunning. The good news is that it still is. The whole fascia is new, with ‘three claw’ LED running lights, slimmer headlights and a gloss black grille being chief among the changes. But the most significant revision is actually inside, where the dated infotainment has been replaced by a 10.0in touchscreen, complete with new menu layout and high-def graphics. More on that in a bit. Performance in the saloon and, as tested here,…

Boosting the power output of the straight-six diesel X7 from 335 to 347bhp might sound a little unnecessary. But the point was to reduce its fuel consumption by fitting a mild-hybrid system – which happens to add 12bhp. It’s part of the mid-life facelift for the largest BMW, along with splitting the front lights to give it a killer-robot stare. The effect of that is a matter of opinion, but there’s no denying it matches the attitude of the M Sport spec most will order. Unsurprisingly, the xDrive40d pulls like Casanova. A relentless flow of torque takes you to 62mph in 5.9sec in this seven-seat, 5.2-metrelong 2490kg brick, thanks to 516lb ft from a lowly 1750rpm. Even more potent engines are available in the X7, but no one really needs…

“The firm has a Nio Life brand with hundreds of thousands of products” Your wallet or smartphone is likely to be stuffed with various loyalty cards and apps, giving you rewards for buying everything from groceries to coffee. But Chinese firm Nio is extending that concept to cars. Granted, in this connected age, every car firm has an app – but usually they offer sales information or give access to controls or features for your car. Nio’s app, by contrast, is as much about building loyalty as selling cars. Tesla’s Elon Musk may have bought up Twitter, but Nio has essentially started its own social media network – and it’s apparently working. Nio’s car sales are currently numbered in the hundreds of thousands, but the brand claims that its app…

MODEL TESTED URBAN Price £32,845 Power 134bhp Torque 291lb ft 0-60mph 8.0sec 30-70mph 8.3sec Economy 3.8mpkWh Max DC charging speed 45kW 70-0mph 46.6m The Kia Soul tends to live in the shadows of some of its showroom-mates. The EV6 gets all the plaudits for its new tech, while the Niro gets love from buyers thanks to its more SUV-like styling. But Kia is persisting with the Soul because, contrary to what its name suggests, it answers a need for a no-nonsense, good-value EV with a boxy shape for maximum practicality. So the Soul is getting a model-year update. More interesting than the extremely minor facelift itself is the new version that Kia is introducing to the UK. The third-generation Soul arrived in Europe only as an EV and that’s not…

FIRST REPORT WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if BMW’s entry EV is as impressive as its range-topper Some car makers have been criticised for their slow transitions to allelectric power, but that’s certainly not something that could be said about BMW. The German giant is well and truly engaged in ramping up its electric offensive, and now – or at least at the time of writing – it is offering no fewer than 10 pure-electric models. The latest addition to the Autocar fleet, then, is the brand’s smallest SUV, which in turn has become its smallest electric model. It’s the iX1, which, as you might have guessed, mirrors the internal combustion engine-powered X1, save for its method of propulsion. The iX1 measures 4500mm long, 1845mm wide and 1616mm high,…

DRIVEN Prodrive P25 Is this the ultimate restomod? Prodrive has remade the legendary Subaru Impreza 22B and Steve Cropley joins David Richards in one PREVIEW Festival of Speed Britain’s biggest motor show is back. Here’s what to look out for at Goodwood DRIVEN Lotus Eletre Our first steer on European roads in Lotus’s Chinese-built electric SUV EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST Renault Austral An innovative new hybrid drivetrain features in this new family crossover FIRST DRIVE Tesla Model S The EV is now left-hand drive only in the UK. We try the latest version SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p18…

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…