Innholdsfortegnelse for September 24, 2025 i Autocar

AUDI IS SET to cap its new-era line-up with a rugged, luxurious SUV in the mould of the Land Rover Defender and Mercedes-Benz G-Class as a halo model that will introduce radical new design and technology features to its more mainstream siblings. It first emerged that Audi was considering a flagship 4x4 model line in 2023, when then design boss Marc Lichte suggested such a model would build neatly on the brand’s legacy of Quattro off-road models and tap into a highly profitable part of the market in which Audi was unrepresented. “There is potential because there are only two premium players” in the luxury 4x4 segment (Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover), he said, “and I think there is a space for a third one”. Lichte left Audi shortly after but…

Mercedes-Benz will continue to offer V12 engines into the next decade, its technology boss has confirmed. The impending arrival of new European emission laws, named Euro 7, at the end of next year had put the German company’s largest combustion engine into doubt. But, speaking at the recent Munich motor show, Markus Schäfer confirmed that Mercedes “will continue to offer V12s”. When asked if the V12 is Euro 7-compatible, he replied “I will not say more, but it is coming”, suggesting European sales will continue. Schäfer did not, however, give any details on how Mercedes would bring the engine up to the new standards, or which model lines would use it. Currently, the only Mercedes model to use the V12 is the ultra-exclusive, 603bhp Maybach S680 limousine, but it was…

FORD WILL CUT up to 1000 jobs at its electric car factory in Cologne, Germany, in response to lower than expected EV demand across Europe. The former home of the Fiesta, which now builds the Explorer and Capri following a £730 million revamp, is operating far below its capacity. It can produce up to 250,000 cars per year yet, according to figures from industry body Jato Dynamics, Ford sold fewer than 19,000 Explorers and far fewer Capris in Europe during the first half of 2025. In response, Ford is slashing its German workforce again, having axed 2900 roles in the country late last year as part of a dramatic 14% reduction of its European staff levels in response to slow EV sales. In a statement sent to Autocar, the company…

“Their argument rests on their claim that insurers are now more likely to write off damaged cars” Guaranteed asset protection (Gap) is being hailed as a “vital safeguard” against financial ruin, just 18 months after the Financial Conduct Authority requested that insurers stop selling it. Gap insurance covers the difference between a car’s purchase price or the amount of finance owed on it and its current market value in the event that the car is written off before the finance has been repaid. In February 2024, the FCA said it was concerned such products were failing to provide fair value to consumers, with only 6% of the amount they were paying in premiums being paid out in claims. Further, the FCA said it had seen examples of some firms paying…

Rivian is planning a UK launch as part of an expansion into Europe and will offer its upcoming R2 SUV in right-hand drive. To date, the US firm has operated only in North America with two electric models: the near-£60,000 R1S SUV and the related R1T pick-up truck. But last year it revealed the smaller (4.7m-long) and more affordable R2, which was developed with European exports in mind. Speaking to Autocar at the recent Munich motor show, Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe said the R2 would arrive in the first half of 2026 in North America, priced from around $45,000 (£33,000), and a European launch would follow. Rivian plans to bring the R2 to the UK once lefthand-drive models are in mainland Europe, but there is no UK launch…

“We must make it clear that the industrial logic in Europe is wrong” Compared with his slick-haired, sharp-predecessor, suited Luca de Meo, new Renault Group CEO François Provost has a decidedly professorial air about him. His suit and tie, his neat haircut and even his round-rimmed glasses speak of an innate conservatism. There’s no great difference in the two men’s ages: 57-year-old Provost is currently working through his 23rd year at Renault, while de Meo was just a year older when he left in July to swap the automotive world for the Gucci luxury goods empire. Looks, you soon learn, mean little. There’s far less difference between the way the two men answer questions. Provost speaks with a brisk directness and a pleasant candour not so different from de Meo’s.…

I have a red 2016 Volvo V40 D3 auto, and I love it. I won’t swap it for anything else until we are forced apart. It represents the peak of car design, for me at least. Anything on sale now is too compromised. A 50mpg engine, no cheap plastics, sensible-sized wheels, no touchscreen, no annoying ‘safety’ features (just the comfort of knowing that I have a boron steel safety cage around me and my family), the best seats ever made, a great stereo (with a CD player!), low insurance, £20 annual tax and it still looks great (almost as good as new, I can proudly boast: detailing is my new hobby). I would advise anyone thinking of buying a brand-new or used SUV to check how much the tyres will…

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“Body control is great and it steers terrifically well. The good thing is how coherent it all feels” Zenos is back. I know it’s possible that you don’t remember it from the first time, so, to recap, this two-seat lightweight roadster, the E10, was the brainchild of some engineers who had worked at Lotus and Caterham and was introduced to us in 2014. It was deliberately built down to a price – £24,995 – because the founders thought there were too many sports cars that were designed to be perfect so ended up so expensive that they only had one customer: the company’s founder. Owing to its price and being nice to drive, the E10 was reasonably popular (I think more than 100 were made), but it was too cheap,…

Having infiltrated every major class of car in the past 10 years, usually with no small impact, Hyundai’s stated aim in 2025 is to double its European EV sales. You can’t accuse the South Korean company – the world’s fourth-largest by volume – of lacking ambition, can you? Key to achieving its goal is the launch of two models that will bookend the current range of midsized electric cars. At the serious end will sit the new Ioniq 9: a luxury seven-seat SUV that costs from £64,000, can be had with as much as 429bhp and presents as something of a Range Rover Electric for the people. At the little end is today’s test subject: the Inster, all 3.8 metres of it, yours for £23,505. Known as the Casper in…

JAMES ATTWOOD Illya, shall we start with your Mini, given that it’s from 2001? ILLYA VERPRAET It’s significant on a number of levels. Originally it was meant to be just a car, but BMW built a whole brand off it – and it has been incredibly successful. The Mini was part of a wave of retro designs, along with the Volkswagen Beetle and the Chrysler PT Cruiser, but it’s one of the only ones that has really stuck. Those achievements were contingent on how good a product it was. It wasn’t hacked off another platform but was built on a completely bespoke platform, and the designers had freedom to style it and give it characteristics that linked it to the original Mini. STEVE CROPLEY In 25 years, nothing else has…

STEVE CROPLEY My outstanding memory is travelling to Toyota City in 2018 to award then CEO Akio Toyoda Autocar’s highest annual accolade: the Issigonis Trophy. He took the award extremely seriously, giving us an afternoon of his time, showing us around and even arranging to drive into our video set in an original Issigonis Mini like the one he owned when he worked in London decades earlier. His time as CEO was ending, but his prominence, influence and love of cars continues unabated. JOHN EVANS Hobbies come in all forms and attract all sorts, but had I not seen this one for myself, I would never have believed it. For the niche activity known as tether racing, grown men and women gather each weekend at small oval circuits to see…

MILEAGE 3386 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if Mazda has improved on the CX-60 and find its ranking among big SUVs With summer fast fading away, my mate and I were determined not to waste a sunny Saturday and so decided to get on our bikes. Slight issue: as online forums soon revealed, I was just one of many cyclists unfortunate enough to experience a jammed through-axle, so I was unable to remove my bike’s front wheel. (Honestly, the creator of this particular one should be banned from designing things.) So this ride might have been over before it had even begun, or at least needed moving to a dull urban route starting at home, as the only boot that had ever accepted such a frame with both wheels…

VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK 3.0 TDI V6 TECH HIGHLINE 2017, 47,000 miles, £25,072 This Amarok has a muscular 221bhp V6 and looks to be in great shape, with a solid history and long MOT. It also has heated seats, a fixed towbar and a reversing camera, and only two owners from new. LAND ROVER DEFENDER 90 2.5 TD5 XS 2005, 156,000 miles, £14,995 Few cars have the charm and capability of a Defender 90, and this TD5 looks ready for anything thanks to its snorkel and underbody protection. It has an MOT until April next year, and with regular maintenance it should serve you well. MITSUBISHI L200 2.5 CHALLENGER 2015, 56,000 miles, £9995 The L200 is robust and dependable, and despite its commercial roots, this one has a decent level of equipment, including cruise control.…

Audi is preparing to battle the electric BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class with a radical new take on the A4 that is due to go on sale in three years with a game-changing new platform, next-level software and a striking new look inspired by the TT. Set to be one of the first production cars designed according to the ‘Radical Next’ design philosophy, as previewed by Audi’s Concept C sports car, the A4 E-tron will play a crucial role in the firm’s shift to becoming a manufacturer of electric software-defined vehicles. The move is part of a completely new strategy aimed at sparking global growth and defending the brand’s market share from rivals old and new. Development of the new electric A4 was confirmed to Autocar by Audi CEO…

Mercedes-AMG is exploring an electric version of its GT sports coupé – but the performance brand’s boss has said it will need to “justify the investment”. AMG has already confirmed that an electric GT 4-Door Coupé will arrive next year, previewed by the GT XX concept. The saloon will be the first car to sit on the 800V AMG.EA platform, which will also be used for AMG’s incoming electric super-SUV, due in 2027. Now CEO Michael Schiebe has said work is under way to see if an electric version of the two-door GT is viable. “There is an emotional discussion and a rational discussion,” said Schiebe at the recent Munich motor show. ”Emotionally, yes, we should do that. The question is whether there is a market that is big enough…

Kia has confirmed UK specifications for its new K4 hatchback, a Volkswagen Golf rival that will fill the gap left by the recently axed Ceed. As first reported by Autocar, the K4 will arrive in UK showrooms by the end of this year. It will be offered initially with a choice of 1.0-litre and 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engines, with an additional hybrid powertrain due next year. The entry-level unit produces 113bhp and can be paired with either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The 1.6-litre engine, offered in 148bhp and 178bhp guises, is available exclusively with the seven-speed automatic. “It will be offered initially with 1.0-litre and 1.6-litre turbo petrols” Inside, the K4 draws heavily on the Kia EV4 (First Drive, p26), with a large dashboard-mounted display…

The Renault Group has launched a pair of car-based vans – the Dacia Duster Cargo and the Renault 4 Van. Each trades its rear seats for a flat cargo floor, achieving load capacities of 1149 litres in the Duster and 1045 litres in the 4. The Duster can be had as a four-wheel-drive 128bhp mild hybrid or front-wheel-drive 153bhp full hybrid. The electric 4 features either a 40kWh battery and 118bhp motor for a 119-mile range or a 148bhp motor with a 52kWh pack that results in a 254-mile range. Pricing, excluding VAT, starts at £22,995 for the Duster. Meanwhile, the 4 – which is not yet confirmed for UK sale – costs around £25,000 in its native France. In the UK, only a handful of car-derived vans remain on…

Software-defined vehicles (SDVs) address the almost overwhelming complexity of cars with scores of ECUs all controlling different functions by consolidating them into a more centralised system that’s easier and safer to update. Be in no doubt that this switch to SDVs is as significant for the car industry as swapping internal combustion engines for battery power. Rivian has emerged as a market leader in SDVs, so much so that the Volkswagen Group has not only invested in the company but also licensed its technology in a multibillion-dollar deal. Some vote of confidence. We are all beginning to learn why SDVs are needed by car makers, but why are traditional vehicle manufacturers finding it so hard to make the switch? Rivian boss RJ Scaringe has the answer: “We had the benefit…

BMW has announced the first official details of the hydrogen X5 SUV that is scheduled for a market launch in 2028. The arrival of the new FCEV will mean the fifthgeneration X5, due on sale next year, will offer BMW’s broadest-ever range of powertrains: petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid, battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell. It has now been revealed in prototype form, with BMW officially confirming it will take the same iX5 name as the BEV variant. “The launch of the X5 in five drivetrain configurations demonstrates our determination to serve different customer needs globally,” said Joachim Post, the German manufacturer’s R&D boss. Although heavily camouflaged, the iX5 Hydrogen prototype hints at how the Mk5 X5 will adopt the bold Neue Klasse look that was introduced on the Mk2 iX3 at…

WRITE TO autocar@haymarket.com TOO FAST TO BE TRUE Having recently exchanged my BMW with a claimed 0-60mph time of 7.3sec for one with a more leisurely time of 7.6sec, I stumbled on to Road Tests Revisited (27 August), where a hefty Wolseley 6/110 from the 1960s was pictured boasting a 99mph top speed yet a heady 0-60mph time of 6.4sec! My father bought a similar Austin Westminster and on acquisition, with me strapped in as a mini navigator, tested it on a downhill stretch of the A23. Despite best efforts and light traffic, the elusive ton was close but not achieved. The only thing on it faster than the meaty acceleration was the rust bug. Patrick Hogan Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire Sorry: it actually took 15.1sec – KC SPOT THE DIFFERENCE So…

Remember the e-Golf? It was Volkswagen’s first serious mass-produced EV, and even though it was a converted petrol Golf, it was rather good for its time. Since then, compelling traditional hatchbacks in Europe’s heartland C-segment have been in short supply. There have been the VW ID 3 and its Cupra Born twin (which we like a lot), but they’re more like MPVs, while their Skoda Elroq cousin goes for more of an SUV vibe. The same is true of Renault’s Megane and Scenic. The Peugeot e-308 and Vauxhall Astra Electric are true hatchbacks but feel a generation behind. Meanwhile, Kia has made its way through electric SUVs of various sizes to the traditional hatch with the EV4. It may be traditional in its positioning, but it certainly doesn’t look like…

Big changes are afoot at BMW. The electric Neue Klasse, complete with minimalist styling and button-free iDrive, is looming, and from the spy shots it seems like the next combustion-engined 3 Series will have to follow suit. Not just yet, though. Munich’s mainstay is still here in ‘G20’ form, spending its 50th anniversary like it’s just another day. It had a light facelift about a year ago, but we haven’t checked in since with what has always been the most enticing version: the six-cylinder M340i. The biggest news was a bigger battery for the 330e plug-in hybrid and some redesigned bumpers and lights. You can recognise the 2025 model by the four vertical ‘cat’s pupil’ daytime-running lights that move further away from the classic quad round headlights and fall in…

AUDI A2 Sneaks into this century, or at least this millennium, because deliveries started in 2000. Ask your preferred AI chatbot to define ‘ahead of its time’ in the automotive world and the Audi A2 is what it would spit out. MT JAGUAR I-PACE It beat the Germans to a credible EV using driving dynamics and innovative design that was recognisably Jaguar. But as Jag so often does, it didn’t stick with the I-Pace and support the product long enough to shake off the brand’s old-man image. IV HONDA E Amazing design, brilliant dimensions, sleek tech and fun handling: Honda’s tiny E electric city car wowed on first impressions. Unfortunately, it cost as much to buy as bigger EVs that offered more range, dooming it to glorious failure. JA TESLA…

WHY WE RAN IT Can Citroën’s new small electric car challenge the class-leading Renault 5? “The ë-C3 handled most bumps well and rarely crashed over potholes” Our time with Citroën’s smallest car has come to an end after around 2500 miles, and in that time I’ve learned a lot about this electric supermini. Given we have had a relatively balmy summer, the conditions couldn’t have been better for a small EV such as the ë-C3 to thrive and really make a case for itself among an increasingly large pool of rivals. Much like parts of the summer we’ve just enjoyed, the competition couldn’t be hotter for the ë-C3 right now. There’s the BYD Dolphin Surf, Hyundai Inster and, of course, the Renault 5, which is already considered by many to…

Aston Martin’s ‘DB’ lineage of sporting GTs began in 1948 with the DB1, the first product under the ownership of David Brown. By 2016 Aston was 12 years into production of the elegant DB9, but that car was starting to feel behind the times, and sales and profits were on the decline. Then the DB11 arrived, with a new, more aggressive design by Marek Reichman, proven Mercedes tech and a snarling V12. The first car of Aston’s revolutionary ‘Second Century’ plan also had a new aluminium platform, electric power steering, multi-link rear suspension and torque vectoring by braking. We liked it – so much, in fact, that we named it a Game Changer at the 2017 Autocar Awards and one of our top five cars of the year. Eight years…

If the definition of sailing is standing under a shower tearing up tenners, then surely owning a classic car is standing under an inspection ramp doing likewise. Just ask Peter Foot. He has recently spent a small fortune on his 1990 H-reg Porsche 944 cabriolet. “I’ve just had all the fuel lines changed to cope with E10 and E5 fuel, for around £2000,” he says. “Also, it has a power roof, and you are supposed to oil the cables regularly. I didn’t and they snapped. That was £3000.” You would think all this expense would be the end of 944 ownership for Peter, but in for a penny, in for a pound: “It’s a keeper, like all my classic cars, especially with the amount of money we throw at them.…

Although it has been engineered primarily for pure-electric cars, the SSP architecture can accommodate a combustion engine for use as a range-extender – as showcased in the Cupra Tindaya, which is said to be capable of 620 miles between fill-ups. Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said the German firm is also “investigating range-extenders and their opportunities” but was sceptical about their prospects in Audi’s home market. He said: “For Europe, I don’t see range-extenders as a necessary solution. The charging infrastructure – at least in France, the UK and Germany – will be excellent over the next few years, and the distances are not that big. “You don’t need a range-extender with battery-electric vehicles going way above 500km [320 miles] and then only having a 15- to 20-minute charging stop.”…

MERCEDES-BENZ WILL begin to reintegrate more physical controls into its cabins, because “the data shows us physical buttons are better”, its software boss Magnus Östberg has told Autocar. The move has already started with the new GLC EQ SUV and CLA Shooting Brake, which both feature a host of rockers, rollers and buttons on a newly designed steering wheel. This wheel will be used in Mercedes’ future models, and the plan is also to fit it to all of those already on sale, starting with the CLA saloon. This, said Östberg, is the easiest and most cost-efficient way of adding physical controls to cars that are already on sale while still keeping Mercedes’ digital-first cabin designs. He explained: “You can see a difference from the CLA [saloon], which has a…

JLR IS DUE to restart car production today (24 September), following almost a month of global production, retailer and workshop issues caused by a cyber attack on 1 September. Since the attack, the company has been rebuilding its internal computer systems, which were infiltrated by hackers. This has resulted in production shutdowns at all of JLR’s global plants, which means no cars have been built since 1 September. The effect could be costing JLR up to £5 million a day, business economics professor David Bailey has told Autocar. Since the cyber attack, the majority of JLR staff and those employed in the related supply chain have been off work. As a result, workers’ union Unite has called on the UK government to set up a furlough scheme. This is with…

IT’S HARD TO read anything these days without coming across the term ‘artificial intelligence’ or ‘AI’, and there’s certainly plenty of noise being made about it in the automotive industry. One huge investment in AI is being made by supplier Bosch and the Volkswagen Group’s software arm, Cariad. These partners formed the Automated Driving Alliance in 2022 to develop autonomous systems at level two (hands-free driving on urban roads, highways and rural roads) and level three (total control on highways). But is AI just one thing, or are there different types of it? It’s widely known that AI can be used for generating content such as text, images and videos, but on a deeper level it can be used to analyse vast amounts of technical data more accurately and effectively…

THE FIRST TIME I interviewed Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe was late on press day at the Los Angeles motor show in November 2018. Earlier that day, the young Floridian had finally gone public with the car company he had created from the ground up over the past decade. At the time, Rivian felt different to other automotive start-ups in how seemingly Scaringe had thought of everything on the business and manufacturing side as well as simply creating a cool, compelling product in the R1. Most start-ups are great at the latter but fall over when attempting the former. Since production started in 2021, Rivian has delivered more than 150,000 vehicles. Given that its original Illinois production facility was set up during the pandemic, after which the car industry…

VOLKSWAGEN IS UNLIKELY to reintroduce convertibles or other bodystyle derivatives to its line-up while it continues to offer both combustion and electric models, according to design chief Andreas Mindt. The brand has traditionally offered one convertible in its line-up, most recently a drop-top version of the previousgeneration T-Roc crossover. But asked about plans for a new convertible at the Munich motor show, Mindt said: “The trouble in the whole industry at the moment is that every company has a double portfolio [with electric and combustion cars] and that’s a major problem. “This is why you don’t see convertibles any more, because everybody needs to double the portfolio. And that is really bad for investment. So if you have a software update, you have to apply it to double everything. That…

TWIN TEST HOT HATCH HEROES BOW OUT We take one final fling in the Ford Focus ST and Honda Civic Type R to mark the end of the era of petrol-powered hot hatchbacks FIRST DRIVE ASTON MARTIN DBX S Lighter and with a 717bhp V8, is this the DBX to eclipse all super-SUVs? INSIGHT HOW TO GET THE BEST NEW CAR DISCOUNT List prices may be soaring, but we’ve managed to save £47,123 on the top 10 best-sellers. We reveal the best ways to get a new car for less EVERY WEEK USED GUIDE BMW 2 SERIES COUPE The original was a class leader when new and is now just £3500 LIVING WITH A… JEEP WRANGLER How did this American off-road icon suit life in urban Britain?…

Meet the Changan Deepal S07. Yup, that’s right, another brand arriving from China – but bear with me, because Changan actually has heritage and its Deepal brand already has merits. Changan is the oldest Chinese manufacturer of passenger cars, having been producing them for its domestic market since 1984. Not only that, but it also has had a design centre in Italy since 2001, another in Germany since 2021 and an R&D centre in the UK since 2010. Changan launched the Deepal brand in 2022, and here we have its first UK-market model, the S07. This 4.75m-long, five-seat electric SUV uses a CATL-sourced 75kWh (usable capacity) nickel-manganese-cobalt battery for a range of 295 miles. It’s aimed squarely at the Skoda Enyaq, Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7. To my…

It has taken us a while to run the road test rule over the Polestar 4, but here we finally are, with an electric car that seeks to combine the minimalistic tech-luxury appeal of an Apple product with the automotive practicality of Tesla’s Model 3. Owners might also reasonably expect a good level of satisfaction from the driving experience. Until the recent arrival of the Porsche Taycan-rivalling 5, the 4 was the quickest car in the Polestar stable, and its platform is related to the one slid underneath the Lotus Emeya. The rakish design, which to our eyes neatly disguises the fact that the 4 is, strictly speaking, an SUV-coupé crossover, is also suggestive of handling appeal that ought to get the attention of BMW i4 owners. We will now…

Mini hatch BMW’s reincarnation of the storied Mini hatchback is the ideal choice for any savvy shopper on the hunt for a fun, warmed-up supermini. Fine handling, precise steering and a torquey 1.6-litre engine can cost from as little as £500, although buying a Cooper or Cooper S for anything less than a grand will tie you to high-mileage examples with plenty of battle scars. Rusty sills are common, and clutches can wear prematurely. Watch out for oil leaks from the valve cover gasket and oil pan gasket. The R53 Cooper S is a real hoot on a rural back road – its Eaton supercharger boosts power to 163bhp, which is a full 48bhp more than the standard Cooper. Even today a good example feels incisive, agile and quick, and…

MILEAGE 3622 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT Is this new luxury EV as compelling as its spec sheet and unique look suggest? You can tell how in demand the Polestar 3 has been by looking at the text messages on my phone. As predominantly a WhatsApp user, the old-fashioned SMS app is one I rarely use, so most recent contacts have something in common: they’ve been sent a digital key to the 3. Yes, yes, the key again, or rather the lack of a physical key… In short, nobody who has driven the 3 likes the lack of a physical key with lock and unlock buttons. I’ll spare you a blow-by-blow account of deputy editor Felix Page’s particularly negative experience with it, as I would run out of space on this…

AN OWNER’S VIEW JEREMY WAYNE “I’ve put almost 20,000 miles on my V12 in less than two years. One of the window motors broke, and it needed new spark plugs due to a misfire, but nothing else has gone wrong with it. “The Aston is my daily driver, and until now I’ve averaged 15.5mpg in it. It always gets positive attention, especially when I drop the kids off at school in the snow. My only other car is a Lotus Emira, for fun roads. “I love the sound, the look, the smell and the leather. The in-car tech isn’t great, but the small integrated infotainment screen stops it from looking dated. Interior quality is fantastic: the shift paddles are masterpieces – perfectly weighted and their metal click is sublime –…