Auto Express 1504

REGULAR readers will know my view on today’s car dealers very well. Based on your (and my) experiences, the report card continues to read: could do better. I’m excited by the rising interest in online car shopping – both new and used – and by the increasing numbers of car makers choosing to sell their cars in shopping centres. But, for me, car retailing is both fascinating and frustrating. So it was interesting to spend some time recently with a guy who’s responsible for selling cars – through his network of dealers – across the world for the UK’s biggest automotive brands, Jaguar and Land Rover. Andy Goss is JLR’s sales operations director and even when he’s flying around the globe, he knows what’s selling where – and is well…

▪ On the road as smash hit budget SUV gets a more upmarket look ▪ New cockpit is now more attractive and boasts more technology “Upgraded buttons and switches are more attractive than before” IT’S all going very well at Dacia. The Romanian-based Renault sub-brand has grown all across Europe, and now has an impressive one per cent market share in the UK. For comparison, it has sold five times as many models as Alfa Romeo in 2017, and more than twice as many as Lexus. In total, Dacia has built over two million cars since it relaunched in Europe in 2010. The no-nonsense Duster SUV has proven to be one of the maker’s most popular cars. However, for 2018 Dacia is injecting some style. The new model, which was…

“Alfa is prioritising larger SUV because of the car’s global appeal and the bigger profit margins” Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn ALFA Romeo bosses have confirmed that a large, Audi Q7-rivalling SUV will spearhead a trio of new models – and it will be the car to usher in electrified powertrains to the Italian manufacturer’s line-up. The new flagship model will be based on the same architecture as the Stelvio SUV, and its development is already well under way. It will be the largest vehicle Alfa Romeo has ever produced, and in order for the SUV to retain the company’s DNA while meeting stringent emissions levels, it’ll employ a performance-focused mild hybrid set-up, which could develop up to 400bhp. Speaking to Auto Express, Alfa Romeo’s chief technical officer Roberto Fedeli said: “The Stelvio…

MERCEDES is gearing up to deliver a new A-Class at next spring’s Geneva Motor Show – but we’ve had an early taste from the passenger seat, as the brand’s engineers put the car through its paces during cold-weather testing in Sweden. The first thing you notice, even from outside, is that the new A-Class is bigger. There’s a 30mm stretch in the wheelbase, the car is 16mm wider overall, and it rides on tracks that are 14mm wider front and rear. The overall length grows by 120mm. Jochen Eck, senior manager vehicle testing compact cars, admits that the benefits of this growth are numerous. Dynamically it provides a more stable platform and allows greater comfort, while the space increase inside is obvious. “I spend a lot of time sitting in…

“Jeep promises new, more fuel-efficient powertrain options for Cherokee” JEEP has given us an early glimpse of the facelifted Cherokee SUV; its headline act at January’s Detroit Motor Show. This new model will make use of the same FCA C-evo platform as the present model, although Jeep promises it’ll be available with new, more fuel-efficient powertrain options. However, that’s likely to only include tweaks to the existing 138bhp 2.0-litre diesel, plus 183bhp and 197bhp versions of the 2.2 diesels. Jeep has provided little information alongside these official images, which means we’ll have to wait until the car is revealed in Detroit to hear about any subtle changes and technology upgrades. The pictures reveal a tweaked front end, which moves away from the sharp, pointed nose of the outgoing Cherokee in…

TOYOTA has made further commitments to electrified vehicles by announcing that 10 all-new EVs will arrive by the early 2020s. The all-electric models will initially roll out in China before entering European markets including the UK. It’s the next step in the Japanese brand’s EV strategy, which, up until now, has largely focused on hybrid vehicles such as the Prius. An expanded hybrid and plug-in hybrid line-up is also in the works, with new cars to be based on the Toyota Hybrid System II tech from the current Prius. Toyota says it intends to develop a more powerful version of this system for some cars, but simpler hybrid set-ups are planned for cheaper models. By 2025, every Toyota and Lexus will be offered with an electrified powertrain, the companies have…